MIAMI — A Miami mother is seeking damages after alleging that a major vape product company, Juul, caused her two sons to start vaping underage and that both are now addicted to the product.
Juul recently released an action plan to stop posting on Facebook and Instagram, end the sales of flavored pods in stores, and do more to ensure that the sales are age-verified, but the Miami mother says the plan is not enough to help her two children, and filed a lawsuit in the Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Nov. 5.
According to Peter Vujin, a Miami-based attorney, the lack of action by Juul until now violates Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Practices Act.
"There is little dispute that JUUL, founded in 2017, as a successor of PAX labs, founded in 2015, used unconscionable business practices to unlawfully seize the market of the most vulnerable—the children," Vujin told the Florida Record.
Vujin believes that the company gave little thought to the health of the consumer, as the product is nicotine-based and therefore addictive by nature.
The design of the Juul device is made to look like a USB drive, which leads Vujin to believe that this product was not actually designed for use by adults, but rather by young adults and minors.
"If JUUL wanted to make a product that was more obviously designed for adults, they would have made it in the shape of a cigarette, not a USB drive," Vujin said.
The company claims that the product was not made for minors.
The plaintiff is being represented by John Yanchunis of Morgan & Morgan.