Landmark Juul, Altria Trial Builds on Gambit That Felled Opioids

A landmark trial kicking off next week will decide whether Juul and Altria Group, Inc.'s vaping products and marketing to young audiences violate a legal theory that’s driven multibillion-dollar settlements for opioid makers, distributors, and retailers.

This Monday Minnesota’s first-of-its-kind trial against the electronic cigarette and tobacco giants begins in a case that could strengthen the public nuisance theory—a flexible claim allowing suits against businesses that allegedly create societal harms ranging from environmental spills to public health epidemics.

It’s the same theory used to combat the cigarette industry in the 1990s. Notching a win here could give ...