The lawsuit, filed Tuesday evening in Brooklyn federal court,
targets 22 companies including Artison Vapor Franchise LLC,
Eliquidstop.com and Vapor 4 Life Holdings Inc. All of them are
located outside New York.
The lawsuit accuses the companies of violating New York City law
prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to people under 21 by marketing
to underage consumers and failing to take adequate steps to verify
their ages.
It seeks an order requiring them to comply with the law, and money
damages "to compensate the city for the costs of abating the
epidemic of underage e-cigarette use in the city."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Oct/10/images/ads/current/farmers_bank_sda_prom_050614.png)
"The kids of New York are the pride of our city, but to these
companies, they’re just a source of profit," New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio said in a statement. "Preying on minors and hooking
them on a potentially lethal, lifelong nicotine addiction is
unconscionable."
Artisan Vapor Franchise, Eliquidstop.com and Vapor 4 Life could not
immediately be reached for comment.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/ldn_business_directory_small2_2016.png)
[to top of second column] |
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Oct/10/images/ads/current/countryfinancial_lda_PPP_2018.png)
There has been a regulatory crackdown on e-cigarettes and a growing
number of lawsuits by young adults and parents of teenagers against
leading e-cigarette company Juul Labs Inc and its parent company,
Marlboro maker Altria Group.
Most of the lawsuits say only that users became addicted to nicotine
as a result of using Juul, but some allege serious health
consequences.
Some states, including New York, Michigan and Rhode Island, have
moved to restrict the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. Massachusetts
has gone further, instituting a four-month ban on all vaping
products.
Last week, a New York judge blocked a state ban on most flavored
e-cigarettes from taking effect after an industry group sued to
challenge it, while a Massachusetts judge upheld that state's ban.
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by David
Gregorio)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |