Everything You Need to Know About the $255 Million Juul Class Action Settlement [UPDATE]

A federal court has granted preliminary approval to a $255 million settlement that aims to provide refunds to consumers who bought Juul-brand electronic nicotine vaporizer products and JUULpods.

The settlement, reached after years of litigation, resolves claims regarding Juul’s marketing tactics. Specifically, the deal puts an end to a host of lawsuits that alleged the Juul vape was designed to give users higher doses of nicotine than cigarettes and that the company misled buyers—and unfairly targeted minors—to boost sales.

Read on to learn more about the ins and outs of the settlement, including how to file a claim, how much money you might get, and more.

Who’s covered by the Juul settlement?

The deal covers all individuals who bought a Juul product in the United States from a brick-and-mortar retail store or online at any time before December 6, 2022.

How much money can I get from the settlement?

Class members who bought products directly from Juul’s website or can provide proof of purchase from other retailers can file a claim for a class action rebate of up to $1,600 per year. The refunds these consumers will receive are capped at 150 percent of the total cost of their purchases, or 300 percent if their first purchase was made when they were under 18 years old.

Those who did not purchase products directly from Juul and do not submit proof of purchase can file claims for up to $300.

The amount of money a consumer can get from the settlement will depend on how many valid claims are filed. Importantly, the settlement is “non-reversionary,” meaning that any money that goes unclaimed will not go back into Juul’s pocketbook.

How do I file a claim for the Juul settlement?

Claims can be filed online at the official settlement website—JuulClassAction.com—when it goes live.

Importantly, consumers who bought products from Juul directly, or who spent less than $300 on Juul products, will not need to provide proof of purchase with their claim in order to receive money from the settlement.

The only way to get compensation from the settlement is to file a claim.

What if I was injured from using a Juul product?

Critically, the settlement does not absolve Juul of personal injury claims, meaning the settlement focuses specifically on Juul’s marketing of its products—i.e., that people paid more for the items than they would have had they not been misled—and the monetary damage it caused consumers, not on allegations that Juul products were responsible for people’s injuries.

What this means is that if you believe you were injured as a result of using a Juul product, you still have the option to sue Juul. Consumers with personal injury claims may even be able to take part in a separate settlement and should consult a lawyer to ensure they don’t miss any key deadlines.

How will I be notified when the time comes to file a claim?

Court documents share that the settlement administrator, via the attorneys handling the litigation, has in its possession the email addresses and/or physical mailing addresses of roughly 2.8 million individuals who purchased products from Juul’s website. These consumers will receive notice of the settlement directly.

In addition, a “comprehensive online media notice effort,” comprised of targeted digital advertising on social media and other websites, will be launched for 60 days to raise awareness of the settlement among the greatest practicable number of people. All digital notices about the settlement will link consumers directly to the official settlement website, where they can file a claim for compensation.

When will I get my money?

After a class action settlement receives preliminary approval, it then awaits final approval from the court. Once a court grants final approval to a settlement and any appeals of the deal are resolved, compensation from the settlement will begin to be distributed to consumers who’ve submitted a valid claim.

A final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for August 9, 2023.

How did we get here?

The first proposed class action lawsuits against Juul over the allegations covered by the settlement date back to 2018. In July 2019, Juul asked for every case nationwide to be centralized in California’s Northern District Court, and from there the litigation continued for years, spanning millions of pages of documents, over 100 depositions, and extensive expert testimony and discovery.

In June 2022, the court at last certified the class proposed by the plaintiffs, effectively putting the wheels in motion for the settlement outlined on this page. The announcement of the settlement came in December of last year as the parties were deep in preparation for a “bellwether trial” led by California schools against Juul.

On December 19, the plaintiffs in the “complex and challenging” multidistrict litigation (MDL) asked the court to sign off on the settlement. The plaintiffs also told the court that separate agreements are in place for individual personal injury claims and public nuisance claims from school districts, municipalities and Native American tribes related to Juul’s marketing to young people.

United States District Judge William H. Orrick on January 30 wrote in a 13-page preliminary approval order that the court had made a “determination that good cause exists” to send notice to consumers nationwide who may be covered by the settlement. The deal does not include Juul investor Altria Group and Philip Morris, who have not agreed to settle and will continue to face lawsuits.

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