May 09, 2023
A school safety expert testified Tuesday in a bellwether trial over claims that tobacco giant Altria fueled the youth vaping crisis that's been vexing San Francisco's schools and estimated it could cost up to $92 million to fund the staff and technology needed to reduce student use of e-cigarettes.
May 08, 2023
Juul created a national youth vaping crisis and tobacco giant Altria — which bought a 35% share in the e-cigarette maker — added fuel to the fire, a Harvard economics professor testified Monday in a California bellwether trial over claims the two companies created a public nuisance in San Francisco's schools.
May 03, 2023
Tobacco giant Altria's investments in nicotine products said to have reduced health risks is "pseudo social responsibility," in light of its aggressive pursuit of sales, a marketing expert testified Wednesday in a California bellwether trial over claims the company and e-cigarette maker Juul fueled the youth vaping crisis.
May 02, 2023
A former Juul Labs Inc. executive said he was fired after proposing to ditch a marketing campaign for the company's electronic cigarette that appealed to a younger demographic, according to a recorded deposition played Tuesday in California federal court in a bellwether trial over claims that Juul and tobacco giant Altria Group Inc. fueled the youth vaping crisis.
May 01, 2023
A Juul board member whose family built the Hyatt hotel dynasty acknowledged that his daughter and son-in-law had expressed concerns about the family's investment in the e-cigarette maker during his testimony Monday in a bellwether trial over claims that Juul and tobacco giant Altria fueled the youth vaping crisis.
April 28, 2023
Altria's retired CEO said in a deposition that after the company invested in Juul, it wanted the CEO ousted but denied Altria made the call to install one of its executives, according to a presentation on Friday in a bellwether trial over claims the tobacco giant fueled the youth vaping crisis.
April 27, 2023
Altria Group CEO Billy Gifford has acknowledged that youth use of Juul's e-cigarettes increased after Altria invested in the San Francisco startup, according to a recorded deposition shown Thursday in a California federal trial over claims the tobacco giant fueled the youth vaping epidemic.
April 26, 2023
Juul's largest investor, who helped negotiate a deal that gave tobacco giant Altria a stake in the e-cigarette startup, received a $2.45 billion payoff for his $4.8 million investment, jurors were told Wednesday during a California federal trial over claims Altria helped hook young people on vaping.
April 25, 2023
Altria knew when it invested in Juul that the startup was using certain strategies, including some out of the "tobacco playbook," to lure young people into using its e-cigarette product, a tobacco and addiction expert told jurors Tuesday in a California federal trial brought by San Francisco's public school district.
April 24, 2023
Altria helped create a youth "vaping crisis," a lawyer for San Francisco's school district said Monday at the start of a high-stakes trial against the tobacco giant, but Altria's counsel told jurors that although the company was invested in e-cigarette maker Juul, it had "no control" over the startup.