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Class-action lawsuits are a unique, but surprisingly common, way for companies to be held accountable to consumers. Usually, you can expect to get a few bucks from class-action suits you qualify and sign up for, but a recent settlement from vape maker Juul is reportedly giving out huge amounts of money, and people are shocked. Here’s what’s happening.
A class-action lawsuit allows for a large group of people to collectively sue another party, which is often a company. Many class-action lawsuits are brought against manufacturers and companies on behalf of people who used their products. They often result in a settlement in the millions of dollars that the company pays out to people who purchased its product and also signed up to be part of the class-action lawsuit.
This class-action lawsuit alleges that Juul Labs, the makers of vapes and vaping products, “unlawfully marketed to minors.” It also alleges that the company did not provide accurate information about the “products’ addictiveness and safety,” causing people to spend more money on its products than they would have otherwise. Juul agreed to a settlement of $225 million in the case last year, and now that money is being distributed to people.
Anyone who purchased Juul vaping products before Dec. 7, 2022 was eligible to submit a claim and receive a portion of the settlement. Those people who did are now getting their payouts and posting them on social media because they’re absolutely crazy amounts.
People are getting huge payouts, and they’re in shock. Consumers on the r/Juul Reddit community are posting screenshots of their Paypal and Venmo payments from Juul. Many payments are in the thousands, with plenty in the hundreds as well. One poster who received $6,260.21 said they “forgot I even filed this. I was hyperventilating when I checked my Venmo balance.” Another posted a receipt for a $9,217.17 payment and was in disbelief. There are dozens more people posting about their amounts from $70 to $9K. (I, myself, got $144 from the settlement as well.)
As with most class-action lawsuits, the more proof that you can provide of how much you spent on the products, the more money you’ll receive from the settlement. If you filed without proof of purchase, you could only get up to $300. People getting payments higher than that had to have submitted receipts for many Juul purchases over the years.
It’s too late to get in on the Juul class action, but there’s always more popping up, and you may be eligible to sign up for some. There are websites that track and compile class action suits, so you can check whether there’s any you’re eligible to sign up for right now. Eventually, when you’ve completely forgotten about signing up, you may also get some surprise money in your inbox, too.
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