PITTSBURGH – A Pennsylvania woman who allegedly suffered seizures within 30 minutes of using a JUUL e-cigarette is suing the e-cigarette maker and its marketer and distributor over allegations they failed to warn of the products' dangers.
According to the Oct. 2 U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania filing, plaintiff Kimberly Mays filed the complaint against defendant JUUL Labs Inc., Altria Group Inc. and others alleging strict product liability - failure to warn, strict product liability - design defect, breach of implied warranty of merchant ability, breach of express warranty, negligence, fraud and violation of Pennsylvania's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
"Ms. Mays has suffered multiple seizures, diagnosed short term memory loss, mood shifts, and permanent altering of her brain. JUUL’s vaping products proximately caused Ms. Mays’s injuries," the suit states.
According to the suit, after about two months of using the JUUL vaping products, May suffered two separate seizures in June and July 30 minutes after vaping, with one seizure being so severe it required her to be hospitalized.
"Once an independent mother of two, Ms. Mays is now in a state of dependency – relying on others to care for her," the complaint states.
Mays seeks attorneys' fees, expenses, cost of the suit, punitive and treble damages as well as pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.
Mays is represented by Craig Fishman of Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman in Pittsburgh.