SAN FRANCISCO, March 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 

Lawsuit Background

A class action antitrust lawsuit has been certified, against Altria Group, Inc., Juul Labs, Inc., Nicholas Pritzker, and Riaz Valani, ("Defendants"). In re: Juul Labs, Inc. Antitrust Litigation, 20-cv-02345, N.D. Cal.

The Court has certified a nationwide Class of direct purchasers of JUUL e-vapor products. Defendants have petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for appellate review of the Court's order certifying the Class.

A list of products included in the lawsuit is available at www.JuulAntitrust.com.

The lawsuit alleges Defendants violated antitrust laws by conspiring to restrain competition and entered into a transaction that substantially lessened competition in the market for closed system e-vapor products.

Defendants deny these allegations and assert that they did not violate any laws and that the transaction at issue did not have anticompetitive effects or result in higher prices for Closed System E-Vapor Products.

Defendants deny any wrongdoing and the Court has not decided who is right. However, if you are a member of the Class, your legal rights are affected, and you have a choice to make now.

Who is Included?

Class members are defined as: All natural persons and entities in the United States that purchased e-cigarette products directly from Defendant Juul Labs, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, from October 5, 2018, to February 26, 2026. Your claims may be excluded from this case, in full or in part, if the Court determines that some or all of your purchases are covered by an enforceable agreement to arbitrate or forum-selection clause.

The Class includes only those who bought e-vapor products directly from Juul Labs, Inc. including from www.juul.com. It does not include purchases made at a retail store.

If you are a JUUL user who purchased directly from JUUL Labs' website and also purchased JUUL at retail, you may also be a member of a separate class action on behalf of indirect purchasers that is proceeding in the same lawsuit. If you choose to opt out of this class action, you will still be included in the indirect purchaser class action unless you separately opt out of that class as well. Conversely, if you choose to opt out of the indirect purchaser class action, you will still be included in this Class unless you separately choose to opt out. Information about the indirect purchaser class can be found at www.JuulAntitrustConsumer.com.

If you are a Class member, you can stay in the Class or opt-out. If you stay, and money and benefits are obtained in the future, you will be notified about how you can share in benefits for which you are eligible. If you want to stay in the Class, you do not have to do anything now.

Other Options

Opt-Out postmarked or electronically submitted by June 13, 2026. If you do not want to be part of this Class. The Court will exclude any Class members who request to opt-out. Visit the website to learn how to opt-out.

Do Nothing. You will be bound by all orders and judgments of the Court, and you will not be able to sue Defendants for the legal claims in this lawsuit on your own.

The Trial. Plaintiffs must prove their legal claims at trial on September 28, 2026. If Class Counsel wins and gets money or benefits for the Class, they may ask the Court for attorneys' fees and costs. If granted, their fees and expenses will be deducted from money obtained for the Class or paid separately by Defendants. You may hire your own attorney and/or attend the trial but you do not have to.

For more information, visit www.JuulAntitrust.com.

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SOURCE United States District Court for the Northern District of California