Juul Labs Documents Collection for North Carolina: NC vs. Juul Labs

North Carolina was the first state to pursue legal action against Juul Labs, and is the first state in the nation to successfully hold JUUL accountable for its role in spiking teen use and dependence on e-cigarettes.

• Josh Stein - North Carolina Attorney General 
  • Josh Stein was elected as the 51st Attorney General of North Carolina in 2017. 
• James Monsees and Adam Bowen - Founders of Juul Labs
• Hoyoung Huh - Juul Labs Board Member
  • Hoyoung Huh is a Silicon Valley-based biotechnology entrepreneur and investor. He was the founder of Hannol Ventures, pH Pharma, and the Healthcare and Humanity Foundation. Hoyoung Huh joined the Board of Directors in 2015. 
• Nicholas (Nick) Pritzker - Juul Labs Board Member
  • Nicholas (Nick) Pritzker is a business investor, who built up his wealth through his families ownership and development of the Hyatt hotel chain. He was an early investor in Juul in 2007, and joined the Board of Directors starting in 2017. The Pritzker Family owend the chewing-tobacco giant Conwood before it was sold to Reynolds American Inc. 
• Riaz Valani - Juul Labs Board Member 
  • Riaz Valani is a venture capitalist, and the first person to invest in Juul Labs. He is a partner and founder at the private equity firm, Global Asset Capital. He joined the Board of Directors in 2011. 

James Monsees stepped down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Juul Labs in 2015 to become the Chief Product Officer at Juul Labs. As a result of his change, Pritzker, Huh, and Valani formed an Executive Committee that lead the efforts of Juul Labs for a year until they appointed a new CEO. 

There has been ongoing legal turmoil with Nicholas Pritkzer and Riaz Valani into 2024 with claims by investment firms that both had positioned themselves to personally benefit from the Juul Labs decision to convert debt into equity in October 2023, as a result of large debt accrued by Juul Labs from the state lawsuits. Read more about this here. 

From the official AG press release on the outcomes of the legislation, Juul Labs is making the following commitments about its business practices enforceable in North Carolina court in order to avoid appealing to young people:

• No marketing that appeals to people under the age of 21.
• No using most social media advertising, influencer advertising, outdoor advertising near schools, and sponsoring sporting events and concerts.
• No claims that compare the health effects of using JUUL with the health effects of using combustible cigarettes in its marketing materials.
• No online sales to anyone not age verified by an independent verification system and making sure third-party sales partners do the same.
• No retail sales to anyone not age verified using a barcode scanner.
• Ensure its products are sold behind counters so shoppers cannot access them without a shop employee’s assistance.
• Maintain a retailer compliance secret shopper program in North Carolina to ensure these measures are followed and hold accountable retailers that fail.
• No new flavors or nicotine content levels without FDA authorization.

Further, Juul Labs will pay $40 million to the state over the next six years. That money will fund programs in North Carolina to help people quit e-cigarettes, prevent e-cigarette addiction, and research e-cigarettes.