Altria Group’s Youth Marketing Trial to Begin Monday

Altria Group Inc is set to face trial Monday in a lawsuit by San Francisco’s public school district accusing the company of fueling a teen vaping epidemic, along with e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc.

The San Francisco Unified School District says teachers and staff “have had to go to extreme lengths to respond to the ever-growing number of students using e-cigarettes on school grounds,” and is seeking to force Altria to pay for the cost of tackling the problem, Reuters reports.

Altria, which held a 35 percent stake in Juul from 2018 until earlier this year, faces thousands of similar cases from individuals, local government entities and states.

The San Francisco school district’s case was chosen by U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco, who is presiding over much of the litigation, as a bellwether or test case.

Next week’s trial before Orrick will mark the second time one of those cases goes before a jury. An earlier trial, in a case brought by the state of Minnesota, ended in a settlement on Monday as it was nearing its end, although the terms have yet to be disclosed.

“Most of the allegations raised in this suit occurred years before we made a minority economic investment in Juul,” Altria said in a statement on Thursday. “We believe this case lacks merit and will defend ourselves vigorously.”