TUSD to get $3.2 million in another settlement over student vaping

Tucson Unified School District’s share of a class-action settlement with tobacco company Altria Group will be $3.2 million in a lawsuit over negative effects on schools caused by the marketing of vaping products to students.

The district’s lawyers will receive 25% of that amount under the settlement approved 5-0 Tuesday night by the TUSD Governing Board.

TUSD filed suit in October 2019 against e-cigarette company JUUL Labs and Altria Group (affiliated with Philip Morris), and its lawsuit became part of a consolidated class action that eventually involved nearly 1,500 U.S. school districts.

Tucson Unified, one of the first to file suit, agreed to be a “bellwether” case, meaning it would be one of a handful of plaintiffs to prepare to go to trial to help prove the case against the defendants on behalf of all the other districts.

As a result, TUSD earned a larger share than many other districts in the Altria settlement, as well as in a class-action settlement earlier this year with JUUL, officials said.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

TUSD’s $10.6 million share from JUUL, of which attorneys also received 25%, was approved in March.

“As a physician, I see the effects of nicotine addiction, marijuana use and other drug use time and time again, and it has horrible consequences on the health and life and safety of so many of our community here in Tucson,” Governing Board President Ravi Shah said at that March meeting.

Shah said Tuesday night that he looks forward to seeing TUSD use the settlement money to fight addiction and to promote prevention, treatment and mental health.