E-cigarette maker Juul agrees to pay US$1.2 billion in youth-vaping settlement, report says

Juul Labs Inc has agreed to pay US$1.2 billion (RM5.28 billion) to resolve about 10,000 lawsuits targeting the e-cigarette maker as a major cause of a US youth-vaping epidemic, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Last week, Juul said it had settlements with about 10,000 plaintiffs covering more than 5,000 cases in California. The company chose not to disclose the settlement amount as part of the court process in the federal multi-district litigation.

In a statement on Friday, Juul did not comment on the terms of the settlement.

Juul, which is partly owned by Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc, had agreed in September to pay US$438.5 million to settle claims from 34 US states and territories who said the company downplayed its products' risks and targeted underage buyers.

The settlement comes a month after the once red-hot vaping company had secured an investment from some of its early investors that would help Juul stay in business.

Juul's e-cigarettes were briefly banned in the US in late June by the US Food and Drug Administration, but the ban was put on hold following an appeal. The health regulator also agreed to an additional review of the company's marketing application.