Juul MDL Paused for Review of Class Certifications

The California federal judge presiding over multidistrict litigation regarding Juul vaping products has agreed to postpone a trial that would have parent company Altria Group Inc. facing RICO claims, allowing the Ninth Circuit to first review the trial court’s certification of four classes of plaintiffs who brought the suit, according to Law360.

Last week, A U.S. district judge handed Juul Labs Inc preliminary court approval of a $255 million settlement resolving claims by consumers that it deceptively marketed e-cigarettes, as the company seeks to resolve thousands of lawsuits.

The class action settlement resolves claims by people who say they would have paid less, or not bought the e-cigarettes at all, if Juul had not downplayed the products’ addictiveness and appeal to teenagers through social media campaigns and other means.

The settlement is part of a larger, global agreement by Juul to resolve thousands of lawsuits by school districts, local governments and individuals accusing it of contributing to a youth vaping epidemic.