Juul and Altria Accused of Marketing Conspiracy in New Suit

Juul Labs Inc. and Altria Group Inc. have engaged in a conspiracy to hook teenagers on nicotine since Altria’s December 2018 purchase of a stake in the e-cigarette company, Florida parents allege in a new class suit.

Altria, which owns Marlboro cigarette maker Philip Morris USA Inc., agreed to share its marketing and distribution services with Juul when it bought 35 percent of the company, Erin and Jared NesSmith say in their complaint, filed April 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The companies “prey on youth to recruit replacement smokers for financial gain,” the ...