Altria reaches settlement with a North Carolina school district and will pay US$1.87 million

The Wake County school district in North Carolina, USA, announced that it has reached a US$1.87 million settlement with Altria Group and related companies.

According to a Yahoo News report, the Wake County school district in North Carolina will receive more than US$8 million in total litigation compensation, and the district has announced a US$1.87 million settlement with Altria Group and related companies.

Previously, in April, Wake County announced a US$6.2 million settlement with e-cigarette giant JUUL Labs. Notably, Altria is also one of Juul’s shareholders. These settlements are part of federal district court litigation filed by school districts, cities, and towns across the country specifically against companies involved in the production, distribution, and marketing of e-cigarettes.

Wake County school board chairman Chris Heagarty said in a press release: “This settlement is an important first step. It is a victory for the health of our students, and these funds will be used to educate and protect our youth from the harms of e-cigarettes and to ensure a healthier future for our community. But we still have much work to do, especially as these companies continue changing their products to evade protections for our children.”

North Carolina had previously won a US$40 million settlement from Juul, and Wake County was also the first school district in North Carolina to sue Juul.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners requires new stores selling tobacco and cannabis products to be at least 1,000 feet away from schools, parks, greenways, homes, and other retailers selling tobacco and cannabis products. However, this rule applies only to unincorporated areas of the county and to towns that have adopted the rule.