Penalty Amount
$438,500,000
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong led 34 states and territories in a $438.5 million settlement with JUUL Labs over its youth-targeted marketing and misleading practices. The settlement includes strict injunctive terms prohibiting youth marketing, certain flavors, and requiring age verification. Funds will support tobacco cessation programs.
JUUL must pay $438.5 million over six to ten years and comply with extensive injunctive restrictions, including bans on youth marketing, use of cartoons, paid influencers, social media advertising to youth, and sales of non-FDA approved flavors. The agreement also imposes sales and distribution controls, age verification requirements, and retail compliance checks.
In-house legal teams should review distribution, sales, and marketing agreements with JUUL Labs or similar entities. Focus on clauses governing marketing and advertising practices, age verification mechanisms, product representations (especially nicotine content and addictiveness), and compliance with consumer protection laws. Specific changes may include adding explicit prohibitions on youth-targeted marketing (including social media and influencer campaigns), mandating robust age verification systems, restricting certain flavors, requiring accurate and non-misleading product labeling, and incorporating audit rights and reporting obligations to ensure adherence to injunctive terms.
Entity
JUUL Labs
Also known as: JUUL
Industry
Technology$438.5M
Connecticut led a multistate settlement with JUUL Labs for $438.5 million over allegations of marketing vaping products to underage youth. The settlement funds are being directed to Regional Behavioral Health Action Organizations through new legislation to combat youth vaping, with requirements for transparency and evidence-based programs.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of states and local governments in filing suit against NHTSA over its rule weakening fuel economy standards for new passenger cars and light trucks. The lawsuit alleges the rule violates the agency’s statutory mandate and the Administrative Procedure Act; no penalty or final remedy is reported.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a multistate coalition suing the EPA over its repeal of greenhouse gas pollution limits for power plants and separately filed a notice of intent to sue over regulation of existing gas plants. The coalition asks the court to overturn the repeal and restore the protections; the release reports no monetary penalty or final order.
$400.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $400 million settlement with Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc. resolving allegations that the generic drug manufacturers conspired to inflate prices, limit competition, and restrain trade. The settlement includes consumer restitution and injunctive reforms; court approval was being sought.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing a DHS rule that allows certain affirmative asylum applications to be referred to removal proceedings without an asylum officer interview. The coalition argues the rule violates federal law and harms asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children; this was a policy opposition letter, not a privacy enforcement action.
Connecticut and Massachusetts co-led a coalition protest urging FERC to reject the proposed NextEra Energy-Dominion Energy merger. The coalition argued that the merger could increase market power and threaten energy affordability, reliability, and competition; the release does not report a final enforcement decision or penalty.