WARREN (WWJ) -- A metro Detroit school district is joining join a nationwide lawsuit against e-cigarette maker JUUL, claiming the company has deliberately addicted young people to vaping.
Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Livernois says while teen cigarette usage is at an all-time low, e-cigarette use is at “epidemic proportions.”
The lawsuit claims the vaporizers, which look like U-S-B flash drives, use highly addictive nicotine salts and youth-attracting flavors like bubble-gum, fruit and mint.
The suit also claims that the product's design and the company’s social media marketing directly target teens.
Livernois tells WWJ the district decided to join the lawsuit “due to the continued challenges we’re having with students vaping in schools.” He also noted many students are now also using marijuana vaping products.
The district is suing for compensation related to the resources it has used to catch and discipline the kids who are vaping in school.
“Just on the administrative side, the amount of time our administrative staff are spending, tracking kids down in the restroom and all of the disciplinary processes that follow that It’s taking away their time to lead the school in a number of more appropriate ways,” Livernois said.
Livernois says if they win the class action lawsuit - any damages received will go toward anti-vaping programs.
“In Warren Consolidated Schools’ 80 year history, our highest priority has always been student safety and well-being,” Livernois said. “JUUL, to the detriment of our students, has been marketing directly to teens to get them addicted to their product. This litigation is taking a stand against JUUL and other manufacturers.”
Wagstaff & Cartmell, a Kansas City-based law firm with "a proven success record in mass tort litigation against dangerous drug makers and defective medical devices" is leading the lawsuit against JUUL, along with a coalition of four other law firms. The firm says it is "applying the same public nuisance law used to combat opioid manufacturers.
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