Juul pods price-fixing class action lawsuit certified: Class members notified, trial date set

A federal antitrust class action lawsuit involving Juul Labs Inc. and Altria Inc. is one step closer to a September 2026 trial. On Feb. 26, 2026, a federal judge certified multiple classes of consumers who allege they paid artificially inflated prices for JUUL nicotine pods. Filed in 2020, the class action covers purchases of JUUL pods made from Oct. 25, 2018, through March 29, 2024.

The case was was filed on behalf of consumers, referred to as indirect purchasers, who purchased JUUL pods from brick-and-mortar stores such as convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, supermarkets and liquor stores. The plaintiffs claim that a multibillion-dollar financial transaction between Juul Labs and Altria violated federal and state antitrust laws by eliminating competition in the nicotine e-vapor market and causing consumers to overpay for JUUL pods.

Alleged price-fixing

In December 2018, Altria announced a $12.8 billion investment in Juul Labs and acquired a 35% ownership stake in the company. The deal quickly drew scrutiny from regulators and consumer advocates. The complaint, alleges that as part of the investment, Altria agreed to stop competing in the market closed system e-vapor products. These products are electronic nicotine devices that heat a liquid solution sealed inside a pre-filled cartridge, pod or tank.

The plaintiffs claim that by agreeing to no longer compete with Juul in the pod market in exchange for its ownership stake, Altria removed itself as a meaningful rival to Juul Labs. Allegedly, the business agreement substantially decreased competition in the closed system e-vapor market, allowing Juul to control pricing.

According to the complaint, as a result of this reduced competition, consumers who bought JUUL pods from retail stores during the class period paid prices that were artificially higher than what a truly competitive market would have allowed. This price inflation, the plaintiffs contend, was a direct consequence of the deal between the two companies.

The plaintiffs in the consumer class action are seeking monetary damages for all class members, along with attorneys' fees and costs. Both Juul Labs and Altria deny any wrongdoing. The defendants assert that an anticompetitive agreement did not exist, and that the 2018 transaction did not impact competition and consumer pricing in any relevant market.

Who are the class members?

The court certified a multistate Cartwright Act class. The Cartwright Act is California's principal state antitrust law. This class includes consumers in 27 states and the District of Columbia who indirectly purchased JUUL pods for personal use between Oct. 25, 2018 and March 29, 2024. Indirectly purchased means the qualifying products were purchased at brick-and-mortar retailers, which includes grocery stores, liquor stores and gas stations.

The states included in the Cartwright Act class are: Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin. In addition to the multistate class, the court certified six separate state-level classes for consumers who purchased JUUL pods during the same time period in California, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.

Information about the different classes and class member options are available on the court-ordered website: https://juulantitrustconsumer.com/.

Consumers who purchased pods directly from the JUUL website, may be a class member in a separate direct purchaser class action lawsuit, which was certified in February 2026.

What happens next?

There is currently no money or benefits currently available to the indirect purchaser class members. Class members can opt out of the class action, and have until May 20, 2026 to submit a online or by mail to a court-appointed administrator. Consumers that do not opt out will remain in the class or classes and will be bound by the outcome of the class action lawsuit.

According to the court-ordered notice, Juul Labs and Altria have filed a petition with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, requesting an appellate review of the federal court certification order. The trial is currently scheduled to begin Sept. 28, 2026, before Judge Orrick in District Court in Northern California. However, if the Ninth Circuit agrees to hear the petition, the trial date could be postponed.

Previous Juul Labs & Altria litigation

Juul and Altria settled multiple false advertising class action lawsuits in 2022 and 2023, for a combined $300 million. The lawsuits alleged that consumers paid more for JUUL products than they would have if proper information regarding the products' addictiveness and safety had been provided to the general public. The plaintiffs in these cases also claimed that JUUL products were marketed to minors, in violation of federal law.