Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson talks with The Chronicle's Editorial Board in March 2015.
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson will announce a consumer protection lawsuit Wednesday against vaping giant Juul Labs, saying the company targets underage consumers. More details are expected at a 10 a.m. news conference.
It's the latest in a series of legal troubles for the company, and for the vaping industry more broadly.
Last month, Ferguson sued E-Juice Vapors for selling its products without strong age verification and because that company never received a license from the state to deliver vapor products into Washington as required by law.
The earlier lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, seeks to block E-Juice Vapors' future unlawful sales and obtain financial penalties. E-Juice Vapors refused to comply with the attorney general's investigation, according to Ferguson's office, so the number of its online sales into Washington remains unknown.
In 2016, the Washington Legislature passed a law with bipartisan support requiring multiple levels of age verification for online sales of vapor products.
Politicians from Washington state to Washington, D.C., have called for bans on certain e-cigarette flavors, arguing they appeal to young people. Juul stopped selling fruit and dessert flavors in October.
Also last fall, a former Juul executive sued the company, alleging that the company sold at least 1 million contaminated mint-flavored nicotine pods and refused to recall them when told about the problem.
On April 1, the Federal Trade Commission sued to break up a multibillion-dollar partnership between Juul Labs and tobacco giant Altria, saying the financial and business dealings between the companies amounted to an agreement not to compete.
Vaping in general has come under scrutiny in the past couple of years as a spate of lung illnesses and deaths seem to be connected to inhalation of e-cigarette ingredients.
Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.
