Juul Facing Litigation Concerning Death of 18-Year-Old
Amidst the growing litigation against Juul Labs, the e-cigarette powerhouse is now facing a lawsuit in regards to the death of an 18-year old Florida teenager who died after using vaping devices. Here, the attorneys at Peter Angelos Law detail recent updates to ongoing Juul litigation and as well as insights to the first major lawsuit targeting a large e-cigarette company such as Juul.
18 Year-Old’s Death Sparks Lawsuit Against Juul Labs
The mother of a late Florida teenager has recently sued Juul Labs under the premise that the e-cigarette company contributed to her son’s nicotine addiction that ultimately led to his death. Lisa Marie Vail filed the lawsuit on behalf of her deceased son, Daniel David Wakefield, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in October 2019. Vail alleges that her son’s vaping habit began after he was introduced to Juul vaping devices at the age of 15, and subsequently became “intensely addicted” to the product, which resulted in a decline in his emotional and physical well-being, his performance in school and, ultimately, his death.
Vaping Has Been Linked to More Than Two Dozen Deaths
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), vaping is linked to a plethora of lung injuries and even death. Due to the increased association between vaping and lung injury, medical researchers and doctors began investigating the issue and found that vaping could potentially cause inflammation and respiratory illness in users.
As of November 5th, 2019, there are 2,051 cases of e-cigarette product use linked to lung injury that have been reported to the CDC from 49 states as well as the District of Columbia and one U.S. territory. In addition, 39 deaths have been confirmed over 24 states and the District of Columbia. While the FDA and the CDC has not yet identified the exact cause or causes of the lung injuries in these reported cases, the use of vaping devices is the connecting factor across all cases.
Juul Has Pledged to Pull all U.S. Advertisements Promoting Their Vaping Devices
In an act of damage control, Juul Labs has taken countermeasures by announcing that they are pulling all U.S. advertisements for their product. This is in an effort to mitigate the growing number of youths using and subsequently becoming dependent on vaping devices. Despite measures to reduce the impact of lung injury on youths, Juul is still facing ongoing litigation related to their questionable marketing tactics as a contribution to the epidemic of individuals addicted to the nicotine in vaping devices.
File a Claim with the Help of a Product Liability Attorney at Peter Angelos Law
The growing issue of individuals experiencing lung injury as a result of vaping, especially among youths, is an epidemic that must be remedied through legal measures—victims of lung injury as a result of vaping deserve justice for the harm they suffer, especially in light of unethical marketing tactics employed by Juul Labs. To file a claim against Juul or other major e-cigarette company, contact the dedicated team of product liability attorneys now.