Wagstaff & Cartmell Clients Resolve Major Litigation Against Tobacco Giant Altria Group

KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wagstaff & Cartmell is proud to announce that it has resolved claims against tobacco giant Altria Group brought on behalf of hundreds of school districts nationwide, including some of the largest public school districts in America located in major cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and others.

The claims arise from a youth vaping crisis that has harmed schools and kids nationwide. As reported by Law 360, Altria agreed to pay $235 million dollars to resolve all claims. Plaintiffs, including Wagstaff & Cartmell clients, previously settled in a confidential settlement with Juul Labs and five of its key directors and major investors. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that the previous settlement totaled around $1.7 billion dollars. Together with the previous settlement late last year, this week's settlement with Altria brings the total recovery in the litigation to just under $2 billion dollars, according to media reports. 

The global settlement with Altria was reached in the middle of a multi-week federal court jury trial in San Francisco. The plaintiff, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), had just finished presenting its evidence to the jury. Wagstaff & Cartmell and its co-counsel had put on 27 witnesses at trial by live and video testimony, including six expert witnesses who are world-renowned leaders in their fields of expertise.

Wagstaff & Cartmell Founding Partner Tom Cartmell was lead trial counsel for SFUSD and was lead counsel for many other school districts and young people in this litigation. Explaining why the firm committed so many resources to this litigation, Cartmell said, "From the beginning, this case has always been about getting meaningful relief to school-aged youth and school districts for the harms caused by the youth vaping crisis. Young people are our most valuable resource, and they should be protected from dangerous e-cigarette products that can damage their health and have life-long consequences. Nicotine addiction is a terrible problem, especially for teens. School districts have been plagued with problems too. They have limited resources to address youth vaping in schools. Student vaping disrupts schools for everyone, including teachers, administrators, and other students who aren't vaping. We are proud to have helped these schools and kids obtain meaningful relief." 

The settlement avoids the delay from further litigation and resolves all remaining claims against Altria, including personal injury, consumer class action, and school district cases brought in the national MDL and the JCCP in California. Wagstaff & Cartmell was the first law firm in the United States to file lawsuits against JUUL Labs and Altria on behalf of school districts. The global settlement is the culmination of a continuous four-year battle by the plaintiffs and legal teams for the recent upsurge in youth e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction. 

Wagstaff & Cartmell Partner Jon Kieffer, who also played a major role in the litigation, said, "We take great pride in this result. Our team has worked tirelessly over the past four years on behalf of our clients to get meaningful relief from the youth e-cigarette epidemic. The successful resolution of this case is a testament to the effectiveness of the legal system, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the jurors who invested their time in the trial during the recent weeks."

SOURCE Wagstaff & Cartmell