E-cigarette maker Juul Labs to pay Kentucky $14 million and stop marketing to youth in order to settle lawsuit by 34 states

Juul products (Photo by Bill O'Leary, The Washington Post)

Juul Labs, once the leading manufacturer of electronic cigarettes, will pay Kentucky and 33 other states $435 million to settle a lawsuit by their attorneys general alleging deceptive marketing and sales practices by the company.

Kentucky will get $14 million from the settlement, with the first payment of $1.3 million due by Dec. 31, Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced Wednesday. He said Juul has also agreed “to cease    marketing their products to underage youth” and depicting anyone under 35 in marketing materials.

The agreement also bans Juul from selling flavored products not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, making misleading statements about its products' nicotine content, and
allowing website access without age verification on the landing page.

Other states in the case were Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.