By Brendan Pierson
(Reuters) – E-cigarette company Juul Labs Inc and its former largest investor, Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc, on Monday settled claims by the state of Minnesota that they fueled teen vaping addiction.
The settlement, whose terms are not yet public, was announced by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and by Juul as a trial in the case was nearing its end.
Minnesota’s lawsuit, filed in 2019, was the first to go to trial of thousands by state governments, school districts and individuals around the country against Juul and Altria over underage vaping.
Juul has now settled most of the litigation, agreeing to pay more than $1 billion to settle with 48 states and territories including Minnesota, and $1.7 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits by individuals and local government entities. Only Florida, Michigan, Maine and Alaska have not reached settlements with the company.
Altria, however, has not reached any other major settlements.
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Bill Berkrot)
