Park Ridge teen drops lawsuit against Juul, tobacco companies
A Park Ridge teenager's class-action lawsuit claiming leading e-cigarette and tobacco companies are to blame for his nicotine addiction was dismissed voluntarily late Tuesday, a day after being filed.
Christian Foss, 19, alleged e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, tobacco industry giant Philip Morris USA, along with Phillip Morris' parent Altria Group, illegally marketed vaping products and devices to minors without informing them about the risks, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Foss, whose suit says he began vaping at age 16, has declined to comment on the lawsuit.
His Chicago-based attorney, Ken Moll, declined Wednesday to discuss the reasons for the case's dismissal. He said the class-action lawsuit against Juul and the other defendants will be refiled with the firm's other clients in Florida and California substituted as plaintiffs.
"What we want out of this lawsuit is education and information, and we want regulation to prevent them from targeting youth. We want regulation for smoke shops to prevent selling (e-cigarettes) to kids," Moll said earlier.
It had been the second suit filed locally against San Francisco-based Juul Labs within a week. Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim sued last week, contending the company intentionally targeted teens with a deceptive marketing campaign.