Prominent LA-area lawyers appointed as lead counsel in state lawsuit against Juul

A Los Angeles County judge has appointed co-lead counsel and an executive committee to head a state product liability lawsuit against Juul Labs Inc., one of several complaints the company is facing.

Superior Court Judge Ann I. Jones on Tuesday selected Paul R. Kiesel of Kiesel Law LLP and Mark P. Robinson Jr. of Robinson Calcagnie Inc. as private plaintiffs' lead counsel while choosing John P. Fiske of Baron & Budd P.C. and Rahul Ravipudi of Panish Shea & Boyle LLP as lead counsel for school district plaintiffs. Juul Labs Product Cases, Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding No. 5052 (Los Angeles County Sup. Ct., filed June 28, 2019).

The state court lawsuit in Los Angeles is one of several complaints against Juul by individuals and school districts, accusing the company of conspiring to hook children on nicotine and of causing a host of health problems. Federal lawsuits have been filed in the Northern District of California.

"Some of these people get seriously addicted and lung damage," Robinson said Thursday. "Some of them have died."

Several states, including California, also have sued Juul.

A Juul spokesperson could not be reached for comment Thursday. In December, the company released a statement saying its customer base is adults "and we do not intend to attract underage users."

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP are among the law firms representing Juul.

In the Los Angeles County state court case, Jones also appointed Raymond P. Boucher of Boucher LLP and Thomas V. Girardi of Girardi Keese as private plaintiffs' liaison co-counsel. A host of other attorneys, from California and other states, were appointed to the steering committee.

-- Craig Anderson