E-cigarette maker Juul settles 5,000 cases in California for undisclosed amount

San Francisco-based e-cigarette maker Juul Labs reached an unspecified amount of settlement with about 10,000 plaintiffs covering more than 5,000 cases in the state of California.Juul did not disclose the amount as part of the settlement. The company has obtained equity investment to fund it, a spokesperson was quoted as saying byReuters in a statement.

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Philip Federico, a lawyer representing 60 school districts in the United States in the litigation against Juul, was quoted as saying by Reuters that thesettlement is a "tremendous victory for school districts burdened by the vaping epidemic", adding that funds from it will allow school districts to recover the costs of combating the epidemic.

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Partly owned by Altria Group Inc (MO.N), Juul had in September agreed to pay $438.5 million to settle claims by 34 U.S. states and territories that it downplayed its products' risks and targeted underage buyers.

In November, Juul said it had secured an investment from some of its early investors that will keep the e-cigarette maker in business, also planning to lay off about 400 people and reducing operating budget by 30 per centto 40 per cent.

The company's e-cigarettes were briefly banned in the United Statesin late June, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that it had failed to show that the sale of its products would be appropriate for public health.

However, following an appeal, the health regulator put the ban on hold and agreed to an additional review of Juul's marketing application.

(With inputs from agencies)

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