If you are looking for a JUUL lawsuit lawyer, the practical reality in late 2025 is that the main mass tort against JUUL Labs has largely wound down: nearly 4,700 of the roughly 8,500 personal injury cases in the federal multidistrict litigation have been resolved, only about 46 active claims remained as of mid-2025, and most firms have stopped accepting new matters.1Ethen Ostroff Law. Juul Lawsuit A small number of attorneys still review new personal injury claims, particularly from people who used JUUL as minors and developed nicotine addiction, but the consumer class action deadline has passed and any new case now depends on the specific facts and statute of limitations.
Can You Still File a JUUL Claim
The answer depends on what kind of claim you have.
Consumer class action. The claim deadline was February 5, 2024, and late claims are not accepted.2JUUL Class Action. JUUL Class Action Settlement Initial payments went out around October 2024, with supplemental payments to eligible claimants scheduled to begin March 20, 2026.3JUUL Class Action. JUUL Class Action FAQ If you did not file by the deadline, this door is closed.
Personal injury. Some firms report they are still reviewing new claims from people who used JUUL while under 18 and developed nicotine addiction or related health injuries.4Consumer Notice. Juul Lawsuits Participating in the consumer class settlement did not prevent someone from pursuing a separate personal injury case.2JUUL Class Action. JUUL Class Action Settlement Whether a claim is still viable depends heavily on state statutes of limitations, so consult an attorney about your specific situation.
Antitrust class action. A separate case, In re: Juul Labs, Inc. Antitrust Litigation, is heading to trial on September 28, 2026. It alleges that JUUL and Altria conspired to inflate prices in the closed-system e-cigarette market. The court certified a direct purchaser class covering people who bought from JUUL’s website between October 2018 and February 2026, and an indirect purchaser class covering people who bought JUUL pods at retail between October 2018 and March 2024. Opt-out deadlines fell in mid-2026.5JUUL Antitrust. Juul Antitrust Direct Purchaser Class Action6JUUL Antitrust Consumer. Juul Antitrust Consumer Class Action This is separate from the injury and marketing claims and does not require signing with a personal lawyer.
How JUUL Lawyers Get Paid
Plaintiffs’ attorneys in JUUL cases have worked on contingency, meaning no legal fees are owed unless the client recovers. In school district retainer agreements, fee percentages were commonly set at 20% to 25% of any recovery, with expenses capped at 2%.7THSD211 Board Docs. Lawsuit Against Juul Labs Inc
On top of any individual fee, the MDL court imposed a “common benefit” assessment of 7% to 10% of each school district’s gross settlement to compensate the attorneys whose work benefited every plaintiff in the litigation.8SDHC Board Docs. Informed Consent Description of Juul School Settlement In the Altria class settlement, class counsel sought fees of 30% of the $45.5 million fund plus $1 million in expenses.9JUUL Class Action. Motion for Attorney Fees and Expenses Altria
Any lawyer you speak to now should walk you through their fee percentage, how costs are handled, and any common benefit assessment before you sign.
The Lawyers Who Led the JUUL MDL
The federal case, MDL No. 2913 (In re: JUUL Labs, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation), was consolidated in the Northern District of California in October 2019 under Judge William H. Orrick III.10JPML. In Re Juul Labs Inc Tag Along Transfer Order Judge Orrick appointed a formal leadership structure that ran the litigation on behalf of every plaintiff.
Four attorneys served as lead counsel for the plaintiffs:
- Dena C. Sharp of Girard Sharp LLP
- Sarah R. London of Lieff Cabraser Heimann and Bernstein LLP (who also served as liaison counsel)
- Dean N. Kawamoto of Keller Rohrback LLP
- Ellen Relkin of Weitz and Luxenberg PC11CourtListener. In Re Juul Labs Inc Parties
In a December 2023 order, Judge Orrick called the quality of the class counsel’s work “superb.”12TZ Legal. $300 Million Juul Marketing Class Action Litigation
The Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee included attorneys from firms across the country, among them Joseph VanZandt of Beasley Allen, Matthew Schultz of Levin Papantonio Rafferty, Michelle Drake of Berger Montague, Emily Jeffcott of Morgan and Morgan, and Rachel Beth Abrams (Levin Simes Abrams LLP and Peiffer Wolf). Thomas P. Cartmell of Wagstaff and Cartmell served as liaison counsel for government entity plaintiffs.11CourtListener. In Re Juul Labs Inc Parties
These firms handled the bulk of the personal injury, government entity, and consumer class work. Any lawyer still taking new JUUL matters will either be one of these firms or a firm coordinating with them.
What the Lawsuits Argued
The core theory across the JUUL cases was that the company knowingly designed and marketed an addictive nicotine product to teenagers and young adults. Plaintiffs pointed to the “Vaporized” campaign, young models, and flavored pods like mango, mint, and crème brûlée that public health experts said appealed to children.13Public Health Law Center. Juul Litigation FAQ A Massachusetts lawsuit alleged JUUL bought banner ads on sites like Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Seventeen magazine, and courted celebrities with young fanbases such as Miley Cyrus and Kristen Stewart.14Time. Juul Kids Advertising The FDA’s September 2019 warning letter cited Congressional testimony that a JUUL representative told students at a school that JUUL was “totally safe” and that the FDA “would approve it any day.”15FDA. FDA Warns Juul Labs Marketing Unauthorized Modified Risk Tobacco Products
Legal theories included product liability (that JUUL’s nicotine salt formulation was unreasonably addictive), negligence and failure to warn, misrepresentation about safety versus cigarettes, RICO claims alleging a coordinated scheme to addict young users, and consumer fraud and public nuisance claims by school districts and municipalities.16Gerling Law. Juul Lawsuit Attorneys17BBB Attorneys. Juul Labs Marketing Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation13Public Health Law Center. Juul Litigation FAQ
Alleged injuries ranged from nicotine addiction and lung damage to seizures, cardiovascular events, and EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury), which was linked to a 2019 outbreak of hospitalizations.16Gerling Law. Juul Lawsuit Attorneys
What Has Been Recovered
The scale of the recoveries explains why most firms consider the case largely resolved.
Global Personal Injury and Government Settlement
On December 6, 2022, JUUL announced a global settlement covering more than 5,000 cases brought by roughly 10,000 plaintiffs, addressing personal injury claims, government entities, Native American tribes, and the consumer class action.18Juul Labs. JLI Litigation Resolution19BrownGreer. Juul Case Study20About Lawsuits. Judge Approves Settlement Juul Lawsuits
The government entity portion created a $555 million fund (plus up to $45 million in bonus payments), with 78.5% allocated to nearly 1,500 school districts and regional education agencies, restricted to youth vaping prevention.8SDHC Board Docs. Informed Consent Description of Juul School Settlement Thirty-two participating Native American tribes also received funding.13Public Health Law Center. Juul Litigation FAQ
Consumer Class Action
Separately, JUUL agreed to a $255 million settlement to resolve a nationwide consumer class action, with Altria contributing an additional $45 million common fund for a $300 million total.12TZ Legal. $300 Million Juul Marketing Class Action Litigation Judge Orrick granted final approval of the JUUL portion in September 2023, and the Altria portion in March 2024.21Keller Rohrback. Juul Labs E-Cigarette Litigation The class covered anyone who bought JUUL products before December 6, 2022. Payments used a point system that gave higher values to purchases made while underage under a “full refund theory of recovery,” and other class members were paid under a “price premium damages model.” Over 6.3 million claim forms were submitted.22HLLI. Final Approval of JLI Settlement
Altria’s Separate Settlement
Altria, which acquired a 35% stake in JUUL in 2018, faced its own exposure.23Altria Investor Relations. Administrative Law Judge Dismisses FTC Complaint Against Altria The first bellwether trial, brought by the San Francisco Unified School District against Altria, began in April 2023. Partway through, Altria agreed to pay $235 million to resolve at least 6,000 cases, including roughly 4,500 personal injury actions and about 1,400 school district claims.24Altria Investor Relations. Altria Announces Agreement to Resolve Vast Majority of Juul Related Litigation The court had noted that holding a minority investor liable for a third party’s conduct was “unprecedented or close to it.”9JUUL Class Action. Motion for Attorney Fees and Expenses Altria
State Attorneys General
JUUL has settled with 48 states and territories. A December 2022 coalition of 33 states and Puerto Rico, led by Connecticut, Texas, and Oregon, reached a $435 million settlement (potentially up to $472.7 million over ten years).25NJ Attorney General. 33 States Announce $435 Million Settlement With Juul Labs In April 2023, a separate coalition of seven states and D.C., led by California and New York, secured a $462 million settlement, of which California received $175.8 million.26California Attorney General. Attorney General Bonta Announces $462 Million Multistate Settlement Florida reached a $79 million settlement in March 2025.27Florida Attorney General. Attorney General Announces $79 Million Settlement With Juul Those state settlements were negotiated by government attorneys and do not pay individual claimants.
If you believe you still have a viable personal injury claim, act quickly. Confirm the statute of limitations in your state, ask whether the firm you contact is still opening JUUL files, and get the fee terms in writing before you sign.