Juul Litigation: MDL 2913 Status and the Class Settlements

The Juul litigation is a federal multidistrict proceeding about how Juul Labs marketed and sold its e-cigarette products. The cases are consolidated as MDL No. 2913 in the Northern District of California before Judge William H. Orrick III. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation counted 10 actions pending as of October 1, 2026, against 7,071 filed in total since the docket opened in October 2019. Two consumer class settlements have been approved, $255 million with Juul Labs and $45,531,250 with Altria, and both cover economic-loss claims only. Personal injury claims were not released. In March 2026 the plaintiffs’ lead counsel told the court that seven personal-injury cases were still being litigated and that the court had indicated it would soon suggest remand. The FDA, which denied authorization for Juul products in 2022, rescinded that denial in 2024 and has since authorized specific Juul and JUUL2 products for sale to adults 21 and older.

What the litigation is and what the complaints allege

The Panel’s transfer order, filed October 2, 2019, centralized ten actions from three districts, with notice of more than forty potentially related actions, and assigned them to Judge Orrick. The order describes the common allegations: that Juul “has marketed its JUUL nicotine delivery products in a manner designed to attract minors,” that its marketing “misrepresents or omits that JUUL products are more potent and addictive than cigarettes,” that the products are “defective and unreasonably dangerous due to their attractiveness to minors,” and that the company “promotes nicotine addiction.” The docket includes both putative class actions and individual personal injury cases.

Those are allegations from the filings. The orders reviewed contain no finding that the products were defective, that Juul caused any person’s injury, or that any marketing statement was unlawful.

The regulatory record: denial, rescission, authorization

On June 23, 2022, the FDA issued marketing denial orders for all Juul products then marketed in the United States, including the device and tobacco and menthol pods at 3.0 and 5.0 percent nicotine. The agency said the applications lacked sufficient evidence on the toxicological profile, citing “insufficient and conflicting data” about genotoxicity and “potentially harmful chemicals leaching from the company’s proprietary e-liquid pods.” The release states that the orders did not restrict individual consumer possession or use.

The FDA administratively stayed the denial orders on July 5, 2022, after concluding that scientific issues unique to the applications warranted additional review. On June 6, 2024, the agency rescinded the denial orders and returned the applications to pending status, stating that rescission “is not an authorization or a denial.”

On July 17, 2025, the FDA authorized five Juul products: the JUUL device and Virginia Tobacco and Menthol JUULpods in 3 percent and 5 percent concentrations. On August 28, 2026, it authorized three JUUL2 products: the device and tobacco and menthol pods at 18 mg/mL. The agency states that authorization “does not mean these tobacco products are safe, nor are they ‘FDA approved,’” that the products are for adults 21 and older, and that youth should never use tobacco products.

The class settlements

The class settlement with Juul Labs received final approval on September 19, 2023. The order states that “the Class will receive $255 million in exchange for a release of the Settlement Class Released Claims,” paid into a common fund for cash benefits under a plan of allocation. The settlement class is “All individuals who purchased, in the United States, a JUUL Product from brick and mortar or online retailers before December 6, 2022.”

The Altria settlement received final approval on March 14, 2024. The order states that “the Class will receive $45,531,250.00 in exchange for a release of the class claims against Altria,” that the fund is non-reversionary, and that “in total between the settlements with JLI and Altria, the Class would release all claims against all defendants in exchange for over $300 million.”

Both orders limit the released claims to the economic-loss claims pleaded in the class complaint. They do not release personal injury claims, claims in the separate antitrust action (No. 3:20-cv-02345-WHO), claims against non-settling defendants, or, under the Juul settlement, claims arising from purchases after December 6, 2022. Both orders record that the defendants disputed liability and that the settlements contain no admission of fault.

The docket records distribution orders on November 25, 2025 and March 6, 2026, authorizing distribution of the Juul and Altria class settlement funds and further distribution. A March 24, 2026 status report states that class counsel anticipated a motion about any unclaimed funds after a second distribution, and that motions on common benefit fees and costs were expected in late 2026 or early 2027.

What remains in the MDL

Most of the docket has resolved. On December 17, 2025, Judge Orrick dismissed with prejudice fourteen settled actions identified by case number, pursuant to case management orders 16 and 18. A status report filed the same day describes settlements with more than 1,500 government entities in 46 states.

The March 24, 2026 status report gives the current picture. It states that “seven personal-injury cases are actively being litigated” and that “the Court has indicated it will soon suggest remand of these matters.” It also states that three tribal cases are in mediation before Thomas Perrelli: Chickasaw Nation v. Juul Labs, Inc., No. 3:22-cv-07087; Muscogee (Creek) Nation v. Juul Labs, Inc., No. 3:23-00633; and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma v. Juul Labs, Inc., No. 3:22-cv-07085. Those cases were filed directly into the MDL, and the report says the court may transfer them to the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The Panel’s October 1, 2026 report counts 10 actions pending but does not break the number down by category. The March report’s figures, seven personal-injury cases and three tribal cases, describe the same docket ten months earlier.

The docket remains active on discovery disputes in the personal-injury cases. The most recent entry reviewed, filed October 15, 2026, is a reply in support of a motion to modify a protective order, with a hearing set for November 4, 2026.

What is established vs. what is alleged

Established by the documents reviewed: the Panel created MDL 2913 on October 2, 2019, before Judge Orrick; the Panel counted 10 actions pending against 7,071 filed as of October 1, 2026; the court granted final approval to the Juul settlement on September 19, 2023, and to the Altria settlement on March 14, 2024; the FDA denied, stayed, rescinded, and then authorized specific Juul products on the dates above; and the court dismissed fourteen settled actions on December 17, 2025.

Alleged and not decided: that Juul marketed to minors, misrepresented the products’ addictiveness, sold a defective product, or caused any individual’s injury. The settlements are not findings of liability, and the FDA’s authorization is not a finding that the products are safe.

Key dates

• October 2, 2019: the Panel files the transfer order creating MDL No. 2913 before Judge Orrick.
• June 23, 2022: the FDA issues marketing denial orders for Juul products then on the market.
• July 5, 2022: the FDA administratively stays the denial orders.
• December 6, 2022: the cutoff date for purchases covered by the class settlements.
• September 19, 2023: final approval of the $255 million Juul class settlement.
• March 14, 2024: final approval of the $45,531,250 Altria class settlement.
• June 6, 2024: the FDA rescinds the 2022 denial orders and returns the applications to pending review.
• July 17, 2025: the FDA authorizes five Juul products.
• December 17, 2025: the court dismisses fourteen settled actions with prejudice.
• March 24, 2026: plaintiffs report seven active personal-injury cases and three tribal cases in mediation.
• August 28, 2026: the FDA authorizes three JUUL2 products.
• October 1, 2026: the Panel counts 10 actions pending.

What this does not establish

Nothing in the record reviewed establishes that Juul products caused any specific injury or that any defendant is liable. The class settlements resolve economic-loss claims only and say nothing about the merits of the personal-injury cases. The FDA’s authorizations permit marketing; they are not safety findings and do not address the allegations in the litigation. The reviewed record does not state the amount of the government entity settlements, the terms of the tribal mediation, or any settlement amount in the remaining personal-injury cases. Anyone considering an individual claim should consult a lawyer about the applicable limitations period and the effect of any release.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a settlement in the Juul litigation?

There are two approved consumer class settlements: $255 million with Juul Labs, finally approved on September 19, 2023, and $45,531,250 with Altria, finally approved on March 14, 2024. They cover economic-loss claims of people who bought Juul products in the United States before December 6, 2022. Personal injury claims were not released.

Are Juul products legal to buy now?

The FDA has authorized specific products: five Juul products in July 2025 and three JUUL2 products in August 2026. The agency states that authorization does not mean the products are safe or “FDA approved,” and that they are for adults 21 and older.

How many cases are still pending?

The Judicial Panel counted 10 actions pending as of October 1, 2026. In March 2026 the plaintiffs’ lead counsel reported seven active personal-injury cases and three tribal cases in mediation, and said the court had indicated it would soon suggest remand.

Does the class settlement cover personal injury?

No. Both final approval orders state that the released claims do not include personal injury claims. The settlements cover the economic-loss claims pleaded in the class complaint.

Sources

1. United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation: “MDL Statistics Report - Distribution of Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
2. United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation: “Transfer Order, In re Juul Labs, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2913” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
3. United States Food and Drug Administration: “FDA Denies Authorization to Market JUUL Products” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
4. United States Food and Drug Administration: “Update on FDA’s Scientific Review of JUUL Product Applications” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
5. United States Food and Drug Administration: “FDA Authorizes Marketing of Tobacco- and Menthol-Flavored JUUL E-Cigarette Products” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
6. United States Food and Drug Administration: “FDA Authorizes Marketing of JUUL2 E-Cigarette Device and Tobacco- and Menthol-Flavored Pods” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
7. United States District Court for the Northern District of California: “Final Approval of the JLI Settlement, No. 19-md-02913-WHO (N.D. Cal. Sept. 19, 2023), ECF 4138” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
8. United States District Court for the Northern District of California: “Final Approval of the Altria Settlement, No. 19-md-02913-WHO (N.D. Cal. Mar. 14, 2024), ECF 4212” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
9. United States District Court for the Northern District of California: “Plaintiffs’ Status Report re: Closure of the MDL, No. 19-md-02913-WHO (N.D. Cal. Mar. 24, 2026), ECF 4491” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
10. United States District Court for the Northern District of California: “Order Dismissing Settled Cases, No. 19-md-02913-WHO (N.D. Cal. Dec. 17, 2025), ECF 4470” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)
11. United States District Court for the Northern District of California (CourtListener RECAP): “Docket, In re Juul Labs, Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, No. 3:19-md-02913” (link, accessed 2026-10-22)

Collective Claim publishes general legal information. This article is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship. Court records and agency actions change; verify current status with the court or agency before relying on it.