Eonsmoke and its co-owners will pay Massachusetts nearly $51 million to settle a lawsuit over selling vapor products to minors, the office of Attorney General Maura Healey announced on its website. The e-cigarette retailer has also agreed to stop selling its products in the state.
The AG’s settlement resolves allegations that the defendants directly targeted young people for sales of its vaping products through marketing and advertising intended to appeal to youth. The attorney general’s office also alleged that Eonsmoke failed to verify the age of online purchasers of its products and failed to ensure shipments of these products were received by a person 21 years or older, the state’s minimum legal sales age for smoking products.
“Eonsmoke coordinated a campaign that intentionally targeted young people and sold dangerous and addictive vaping products directly to minors through their website,” said Healey. “We were the first to take action against this company and its owners, and today we are holding them accountable and permanently stopping them from conducting these illegal practices in our state.”
Eonsmoke ceased all operations and dissolved in 2020. If co-owners Gregory Grishayev and Michael Tolmach want to sell tobacco products in Massachusetts in the future, they are required to get authorization from the Food and Drug Administration and give notice to the AG’s Office to ensure compliance with federal and state law.