Juul to pay North Carolina $40 million to settle teen vaping suit

North Carolina has become the first U.S. state to hold Juul Labs accountable for what state officials say was the e-cigarette maker's role in encouraging vaping among young people.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein on Monday announced a settlement with Juul under which the company will pay $40 million and make changes to its business practices. The lawsuit, originally filed in May of 2019, alleged that Juul unlawfully marketed and sold its products, including sleek vaping devices and sweet and fruit-flavored pods, to children. "For years, Juul targeted young people, including teens, with its highly addictive e-cigarette," Stein said in a statement. "It lit the spark and fanned the flames of a vaping epidemic among our children — one that you can see in any high school in North Carolina."