Friday, December 13, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Hawaii Attorney General Sues E-Cigarette Giants JUUL and Altria
By News Release @ 5:03 PM :: 3512 Views :: Health Care, Law Enforcement

Hawai‘i Attorney General Sues E-Cigarette Giants JUUL and Altria

News Release from Hawaii Attorney General, June 30, 2020 

HONOLULU – Attorney General Clare E. Connors yesterday filed a lawsuit against electronic-cigarette manufacturers JUUL Labs, Inc. (better known simply as JUUL) and Altria Group, Inc. (the parent company of Philip Morris and JUUL’s largest shareholder), as well as certain key executives and directors, seeking penalties, damages, and injunctive relief for violations of Hawaii’s Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices Law.

The complaint alleges that, for a period of more than five years, the defendants misleadingly marketed JUUL e-cigarettes, intending to hook users on the product in the same manner used by tobacco companies in the marketing of cigarettes. Among other things, the complaint alleges the defendants used marketing strategies that targeted teenagers, making JUUL products seem desirable, all while falsely understating the nicotine content of the product and its addictiveness.

“In marketing their e-cigarettes to Hawaii’s children, these companies ripped pages directly out of the tobacco-company playbook and resurrected Joe Camel for a 21st Century audience,” said Attorney General Connors. “By misrepresenting nicotine content and by presenting their products as healthy alternatives to cigarettes, they deceived the public and created a new generation of nicotine addicts.”

Nicotine addiction among Hawai‘i children, caused by the rise of e-cigarettes, is alarmingly high—2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Hawai‘i has the highest vaping rate among middle schoolers and the second highest among high schoolers in the nation. After years of hard-fought battles between states and the tobacco industry led to significant reductions in the consumption of tobacco by children, e-cigarette corporations, through predatory and deceptive marketing, have caused many of today’s teenagers to become addicted to nicotine and produced grave problems in the medical community, our schools and our families.

The complaint alleges that JUUL, Altria, and certain executives and directors engaged in unfair and deceptive acts and practices and additionally asserts claims for unjust enrichment, negligence, and public nuisance. The State seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and damages, including punitive damages. The State also seeks an injunction requiring the defendants to, among other things, halt their deceptive advertising practices and fund mitigation programs, including vaping-cessation programs.

The State is being represented by the Honolulu law firm Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher, and the national law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, who have been appointed to serve as special deputy attorneys general in this matter.

A copy of the complaint can be found here.

# # #

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii