Lawsuit claims Juul shipped out 1 million contaminated pods

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (CNN) – A new lawsuit was filed against Juul, escalating the controversy surrounding the popular vape company.

A former executive claims the company shipped out one million contaminated e-cigarette pods and refused to issue a recall or give out a safety warning.

The former executive also says Juul wanted to sell expired or nearly expired pods.

He said he was fired for raising the alarm on safety issues.

According to the lawsuit, former Juul CEO Kevin Burns “fostered a culture of silence at the company.”

The company is also accused of disregarding the well-being of customers, many of whom are teens and young adults.

Juul called the claims “baseless” and said the employee was terminated for not meeting leadership expectations.

Burns has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment.

The lawsuit comes as vaping continues to raise concerns across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 1,604 confirmed injuries as of October 22nd. Confirmed deaths have risen to 34 cases.

© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.

Skip to content