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2022 delivered quite the mix oof controversial and monumental cases. There is no doubt that this past year will go down in the history books. We saw the e-cigarette maker Juul face allegations of misleading marketing practices, with some of those cases reaching settlements, and some are on the verge of a trial. We saw CVS and Walgreens meet landmark settlements over the opioid crisis currently facing the United States. We also witnessed helplessly as our fundamental rights were stripped in the Dobbs reproductive health case. Today, we'll take a deeper look into some of these cases and how they affect our lives.

Juul Marketing Settlement

After numerous delays and rescheduling, the monumental case was set for trial in 2023. News recently broke that instead the plaintiffs, which consists of school districts, teenagers, and parents, had reached a deal to resolve the issue. The case was set for litigation in California federal court.

The allegations facing the company are that Juul makes products that are marketed towards teenagers, which in turn causes health issue around the school district, municipalities, and Native American tribes.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has not yet reached a conclusion regarding whether the Juul products should be continued to be sold.

In December 2023, the Plaintiffs informed the presiding judge that they would like to resolve litigation and accent a $255 million settlement offer from Juul. The e-cigarette company has separate deals in the works with individual plaintiffs.

Opioid Crisis and Monopolized Pharmacies

After many difficult years, the pharmacies Walgreens and CVS reached a $10 Billion settlement. The settlement is used to stop the claims that the pharmacies engaged in "reckless dispensing, advertising, and shipment practices worth up to $50 billion."

One of the attorneys for the plaintiff, Hunter J. Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, told Law360, "This was the year we saw Big Pharma on their hands and knees begging to end the opioid litigation. The big chains and non-bankrupt manufacturers realized they were losing badly, it was time to stop the bluster and get the lawsuits settled." He also stated, "I'm proud to say that in 2022 justice truly prevailed against all odds in the opioid litigation."