According to an article on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the school district has just been given approval by the school board to enter into a contract with the Frantz Law Group of San Diego, which is filing the lawsuits in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, where Juul Inc. is located.
“It’s very similar in concept to the tobacco litigation of some 20 years ago except this is not a class action,” said district solicitor Ira Weiss during a school board meeting. She added that approximately 70 school districts across the US have filed similar lawsuits, including North Hills, Butler Area, McKeesport Area and Mars.
The lawsuit seeks damages for the cost of installing vaping detection devices in school restrooms and the funding for educational programs, brought about by the widespread use of the Juul device.
Juul is doing its utmost “to earn the trust of society”
Juul spokesman, Austin Finan, said that the firm will respond to the allegations in the complaint through the appropriate legal channels. Meanwhile, he said, the company is doing its utmost “to earn the trust of society by working cooperatively with attorneys general, legislators, regulators, public health officials and other stakeholders to combat underage use and transition adult smokers from combustible cigarettes.”
“As part of that process, the company reduced its product portfolio, halted television, print and digital product advertising and submitted a Premarket Tobacco Product Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration including comprehensive scientific evidence to support the harm reduction potential of its products and data-driven measures to address underage use,” he added.
Damage control
Last July, Juul Chief Executive Officer K.C. Crosthwaite pledged to do his utmost to repair the image of the company, which has been the recipient of an incessant amount of lawsuits. To this effect, Juul Labs has filed several trademark-infringement lawsuits and announced that many more are to follow. Additionally, the U.S. International Trade Commission is considering Juul’s request to block imports and sales of imported, unauthorized cartridges.
“This new ITC action, if successful, would provide the additional public benefit of helping rid the market of unauthorized Juul-compatible products that can be modified by the user, such as empty and refillable pods, or those containing substances such as THC for which the Juul system was not designed,” Juul said in a statement.
