Juul settlement: Latest news and lawsuit funds for schools

What is the Juul lawsuit?

Background

Juul Labs makes e‑cigarettes. In 2015, it began youth-orientated marketing programs featuring youth influencers, promoting flavored e‑cigarettes that critics said attracted young people.

As a result, Juul attracted numerous lawsuits from cities, counties, states, school districts and tribes, in addition to personal injury cases and consumer rights class actions. They claimed that the company was unlawfully marketing its e‑cigarettes to minors, leading to an increase in vaping among the youth, which created challenges for schools in handling student vaping. They also claimed that Juul made misrepresentations about the nicotine content within their e‑cigarettes and its safety.

Due to the vast number of lawsuits against Juul, they were all consolidated into a single federal court in Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) – a court practice in which a court combines similar cases that are not otherwise combined for greater efficiency. In 2019, the District Court of Northern California was designated the role of hearing all these Juul MDL cases.

Juul lawsuit settlement update

Since 2021, numerous lawsuits and class action cases against Juul have been resolved, resulting in settlement agreements with various states and organizations, including school districts. These settlements have amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. The latest Juul lawsuit update states that the total settlement funds agreed to date are over $2 billion.

How are Juul settlement funds allocated?

The funds from the Juul MDL settlements have been allocated to numerous states and organizations to address the public health impact of vaping and combat youth nicotine addiction. The way each state manages, processes and administers these funds is different, as each has particular strategies and approaches.

As a result of attorney general statements, Juul vape settlement agreements and legislation, some states have indicated how they will allocate the Juul lawsuit settlement amounts. States, including Arizona, Colorado, New York and California, will put their Juul MDL settlement compensation towards prevention and education programs to reduce youth e‑cigarette use. Other states have indicated that Juul lawsuit settlement amounts will go towards research into e‑cigarette health effects, enforcement efforts and cessation programs for e‑cigarettes.

To date, these are some of the biggest state–Juul MDL settlements and the funds allocated:

• California: $175.8 million
• New York: $112.7 million
• Illinois: $67.6 million
• Minnesota: $60.5 million
• Texas: $43.3 million
• Massachusetts: $41.7 million
• North Carolina: $40 million
• Pennsylvania: $38.8 million

Juul settlement opportunities for schools

Juul vape settlement funds present a unique opportunity for schools to invest in measures and strategies to combat student vaping. As some funds have been allocated towards such schemes, schools can help reverse the rise in vaping incidents and establish safety and security.

By allocating funds to support anti-vape technologies and prevention plans, schools can reduce vaping incidents, improve students’ health and safety and enable them to focus on learning. Additionally, the Juul MDL settlement funds can be used to create educational, intervention and support programs that focus on the dangers of vaping and help students struggling with the issue.

In California, the Juul settlement compensation for Lincoln Unified School District was used to procure school vape detectors to help detect and deter the use of vapes among students. Since its installation in early 2024, multiple students have already been caught using e‑cigarettes thanks to these smart vape sensors.

Specific schools and districts have received large Juul lawsuit settlement amounts, including Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia which received $3.2 million from its Juul class action lawsuit. FCPS intends to use the funds to ​“install security scanning technology at select high schools” as part of a new program that’s considering implementing vape detectors in bathrooms in addition to panic alarms and a weapons screening system.

In New York, Monroe County and Rochester-area schools will receive $7.4 million from the State’s Juul settlement claim. These funds will help improve anti-vaping efforts across the schools and help develop comprehensive programs combating youth vaping by investing in education and prevention initiatives.

Juul lawsuit: Future settlements and developments 

Many ongoing Juul lawsuits have yet to be resolved, including those involving the states of Florida and Michigan. Therefore, future settlements can be expected and more states, school districts and other organizations will see Juul settlement claims granted over the next few years.

As more Juul class action lawsuits are resolved and continue making headlines across the country, more counties, bodies and health and educational organizations will likely seek to open their vape lawsuits against the company.

The Juul lawsuit follows general trends in the vape and tobacco industry, where manufacturers and companies are being targeted and sued for similar reasons that Juul finds itself against. From unethical marketing practices to selling illegal products, the Food and Drug Administration and other organizations are taking a firmer stance against vape and tobacco companies than in the past.

How to leverage Juul settlement funds to fight vaping

Schools that receive Juul lawsuit settlement funds can leverage it to combat the youth vape epidemic and support students with nicotine addictions. Below are some key strategies that schools can use to help them achieve this.

1. Implement vape detection technologies

An effective strategy to combat vaping in schools is to invest the Juul settlement funds in vape detection technology to help detect and address vaping incidents on school premises. With real-time detection capabilities and accurate alerts, school security teams and administrators can respond to vaping incidents quickly and help promote a vape-free environment.

Aside from its vape detection capabilities, the other major benefit of implementing vape detectors in schools is that this solution can be installed in privacy-concern areas, such as washroom facilities and dressing rooms, where security cameras are not allowed. As a result, security teams can observe these private spaces, which are common places for students to vape due to the absence of security cameras. Without vape detectors, it would be difficult for school security teams to observe privacy-concern spaces and maintain safety and security.

Grants for vape detectors are available to support schools in procuring this technology. Schools can apply for these funds through an application process and, if successful, can invest the funds in vape detectors that might otherwise be unaffordable. The grant funding can also be put toward staff training, installation costs and maintenance activity.

The all-in-one security device: HALO Smart Sensor

The HALO Smart Sensor is a popular vape detector and all-in-one security device that is being adopted by hundreds of schools. Many schools and organizations have turned to this smart sensor to help prevent and detect vaping activities and other safety and security aspects.

With 12 sensors, the open-platform HALO Smart Sensor is ideal for schools looking to enhance safety and security in privacy-concern areas where video security monitoring is not permitted. In the absence of security cameras, the HALO Smart Sensor can provide real-time alerts and insights to signal potential incidents of vaping, fighting, unusual motion and more.

When integrated with a school’s security camera system, officers can receive instant alerts of vaping activity on their video management platform. Here, the security team can utilize nearby security cameras to gather the visual context of what is happening to initiate an informed response. This fast detection and response allows teams to locate vaping individuals and help deter others from vaping on school grounds.

2. Develop educational programs

Schools can invest their Juul settlement claims in developing educational programs that raise awareness about vaping and its negative health impact, especially on students. By educating students, parents and even staff about the risks of using vapes, schools can help create a healthier, safer learning environment.

3. Improve campus security

Another way to utilize a school’s Juul settlement compensation is to improve overall campus security. This includes upgrading or installing IP security cameras, employing more security personnel to observe school activities and implementing better lighting in high-risk or conspicuous areas. These enhancements help create a safer learning environment by preventing vaping. 

4. Create intervention and support programs

While educational programs can help to raise awareness around the adverse effects of vaping, they may not help a student who is already vaping and addicted to nicotine. To help deal with this, schools can use their Juul settlement funds to develop intervention and support programs.

These programs aim to help students who are already struggling with vaping by providing personalized counseling services, support groups and mentoring programs. By taking part in these programs, students can overcome vaping and nicotine addictions by adopting a safer, healthier lifestyle.

5. Increase outreach to parents and partners

Schools also have the opportunity to invest their Juul settlement funds toward financing outreach programs for parents and partner organizations. By collaborating with parents and school partners, such as health agencies and local government bodies, comprehensive campaigns can be developed to deter school vaping.

Activities can include running educational sessions, workshops and volunteering initiatives, all to educate people about the dangers of vaping and nicotine addiction and reinforce efforts taking place in school to combat the issue.

Conclusion

The Juul lawsuits and settlements highlight the growing stance that cities, counties, states and schools are taking to tackle the vaping epidemic and youth nicotine addiction. This unprecedented situation signals the efforts to combat vaping among the youth and the drive to provide solutions that can help address the challenges.

With many Juul class action lawsuits settled for hundreds of millions of dollars and more states looking to conclude their cases in the coming months and years, e‑cigarette companies will be wary of following a similar path that could result in legal action.

The Juul lawsuits present an enormous opportunity for schools to take action against student vaping. Aside from the monetary settlement received from Juul, schools can take proactive action to implement anti-vaping technologies, support programs and education efforts to help tackle student vaping and addiction to nicotine.

Security technology like the HALO Smart Sensor can help schools make significant inroads in combating vaping on school grounds. When integrated with other school security systems, teams and administrators can leverage enhanced situational awareness and faster responses to improve safety.