Two U.S. vapers have sued Juul over injuries to their lungs. The plaintiffs, Timothy Malaney and Brendan Gorman, allege that they were deceived by Juul about the risks of addiction and permanent harm from the Juul nicotine vape, and that their injuries were caused by that deceit.
The plaintiffs seek compensation and medical monitoring for a national class of vapers suffering similar injuries. Their suit, the first of its kind in the country, was filed in Los Angeles, California, USA, on Oct. 26th.
The plaintiffs claim that Juul failed to investigate and/or warn of the potential negative health consequences of its e-cigarette. They allege that the company knew or should have known that chemicals and nicotine from the Juul vape can cause a severe hypersensitivity reaction in the lungs, producing pneumonia and requiring hospitalization in otherwise healthy teenagers and young adults.
Additionally, the plaintiffs contend that daily Juul use can lead to restrictive airway disease and permanent lung injury. In patients who never smoked, or only occasionally smoked, the nicotine “hit” of Juul can lead to nicotine addiction and behavioral dependency.
The suit asks for medical monitoring, because damage from vaping can be assessed by advanced pulmonary function testing and bronchoscopy which identify young adults at risk for long-term injury.
The plaintiffs demand that Juul establish a fund to medically monitor all Juul users within the United States to allow the medical community and regulators to fully understand the health consequences of vaping.
Juul sued
