- Acumen Powered by Robins Kaplan LLP®
- Affirmative Recovery
- American Indian Law and Policy
- Antitrust and Trade Regulation
- Appellate Advocacy and Guidance
- Business Litigation
- Civil Rights and Police Misconduct
- Class Action Litigation
- Commercial/Project Finance and Real Estate
- Corporate Governance and Special Situations
- Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy
- Domestic and International Arbitration
- Health Care Litigation
- Insurance and Catastrophic Loss
- Intellectual Property and Technology Litigation
- Mass Tort Attorneys
- Medical Malpractice Attorneys
- Personal Injury Attorneys
- Telecommunications Litigation and Arbitration
- Wealth Planning, Administration, and Disputes
Acumen Powered by Robins Kaplan LLP®
Ediscovery, Applied Science and Economics, and Litigation Support Solutions
-
June 30, 2022Anne Lockner Elected Chair of The Fund For Legal Aid
-
June 30, 2022Ashton Batchelor Named Chief Value and Analytics Officer
-
June 23, 2022Robins Kaplan’s Antitrust Class Action Practice Recognized as Leader In The Field For Fourth Consecutive Year
-
July 14, 2022Summer Associate Webinar
-
July 18, 202240th Annual Public Justice Gala & Awards Presentation
-
July 21, 2022MAIBA Scholarship Golf Tournament
-
June 21, 2022Briefly: How To Oppose An Extension If You Really Need To
-
June 7, 2022Damned if You Do,
Damned if You Don’t -
June 7, 2022Take-Home COVID: The New Frontier?
-
July 1, 2022Markets Close Out Worst First-Half Performance in 50 Years
-
June 30, 2022Spirit Again Delays Shareholder Vote on Frontier Deal After JetBlue Sweetens Bid
-
June 29, 2022Despite Headwinds, Disney Reappoints Chapek as CEO Through 2025
Find additional firm contact information for press inquiries.
Find resources to help navigate legal and business complexities.
Robins Kaplan Blocks Effort by Juul and Altria to Sidestep Blame for Minnesota’s Youth Vaping Epidemic
Summer 2021

Robins Kaplan LLP and its co-counsel continue to rack up victories against JUUL Labs, Inc. and Altria Group Inc. (and four of Altria’s subsidiaries) in the lawsuit brought by the Minnesota Attorney General addressing the state’s youth vaping epidemic. On June 21, 2021, Judge Laurie Miller of the Hennepin County District Court denied motions brought by JUUL and Altria to dismiss the state’s claims. The motions were argued by partners Tara Sutton and Munir Meghjee in the firm’s Mass Tort Group.
The Minnesota Attorney General initially brought claims against JUUL alone but later amended its complaint to add tobacco conglomerate Altria, alleging that it extended JUUL’s reach in Minnesota through sales, distribution, marketing, and promotion services provided to JUUL. (In December 2018, tobacco giant Altria—the owner of Philip Morris and other major cigarette brands—bought a 35% stake in JUUL for nearly $13 billion). Under the parties’ various agreements, Altria agreed to provide JUUL access to its prime retail “shelf space,” its vast sales force, and its enormous distribution network. Altria also included JUUL advertisements on Altria cigarette packs known to be most popular among youth and leveraged its vast tobacco database to send direct e-mail and mail advertisements to Minnesota consumers.
In February 2020, JUUL and Altria brought separate motions to dismiss, both challenging the Attorney General’s authority and alleging defects in each of the state’s eight causes of action. In rejecting the defendants’ motions, Judge Miller confirmed the Attorney General’s statutory authority to bring public nuisance claims for abatement and the pleading standard applicable to consumer protection claims brought by the Minnesota Attorney General. The court also found that all of the state’s claims had been adequately pled, including the state’s negligence, unjust enrichment, and civil conspiracy claims, and that none of the state’s claims were preempted by federal law. And while the court deferred ruling on Altria’s personal jurisdiction arguments until the completion of jurisdictional discovery, Altria later withdrew its personal jurisdiction arguments. The case currently has a trial date set for July 2022.
You can find more about the state’s lawsuit here: https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2019/12/04_JUUL.asp and here: https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2020/12/10_JUUL.asp
Related Professionals
Eric M. Lindenfeld
Associate
Related Publications
Related News
If you are interested in having us represent you, you should call us so we can determine whether the matter is one for which we are willing or able to accept professional responsibility. We will not make this determination by e-mail communication. The telephone numbers and addresses for our offices are listed on this page. We reserve the right to decline any representation. We may be required to decline representation if it would create a conflict of interest with our other clients.
By accepting these terms, you are confirming that you have read and understood this important notice.