Published
March 22, 2026
Updated
October 20, 2026
The certified Juul and Altria pod-price antitrust class action will not go to trial on September 28, 2026: the trial date is stayed while the Ninth Circuit reviews class certification, and there is no settlement, money or claim form.
Latest Update · October 20, 2026
The September 28, 2026 trial did not go forward. On April 27, 2026, the Ninth Circuit agreed to hear Juul's and Altria's appeal of the February 2026 class certification order (Black v. Altria Group, Inc., No. 26-2626). On June 15, 2026, Judge William H. Orrick stayed the trial date and nearly all other deadlines while that appeal is pending. The plaintiffs' answering briefs were filed September 21, the defendants' reply brief is due November 12, 2026, and no argument date has been set. Separately, Judge Orrick heard the defendants' motions to enforce arbitration and forum-selection agreements against certain class members on September 23, 2026 and took them under submission. All three opt-out deadlines have passed. There is still no settlement, no money and no claim form.
What Is This New Juul Lawsuit About?
This is a separate antitrust class action against Juul Labs and Altria -- and it has nothing to do with the old $300 million Juul settlement that has been paying out since 2024. It is a completely different case with completely different allegations, and it is now a certified class action with official court notice underway.The old Juul settlement was about deceptive marketing, addiction, and targeting minors. This new case is about money. Specifically, it alleges that Juul and Altria conspired to destroy competition in the e-cigarette market and artificially inflate the price of Juul pods.
Here is what the lawsuit claims happened. In December 2018, Altria -- the tobacco giant that owns Marlboro -- acquired a 35% stake in Juul Labs for $12.8 billion. The lawsuit alleges that as part of this deal, the two companies agreed to restrain competition in the closed-system e-vapor market. The plaintiffs claim Altria pulled its own competing e-cigarette products from the market and agreed not to compete with Juul, effectively eliminating a major competitor. With less competition, the lawsuit alleges, Juul was able to charge higher prices for its pods than it could have in a truly competitive market.
In plain terms: the lawsuit says Juul and Altria teamed up so Juul could charge you more for pods, and you had fewer alternatives to choose from as a result.
Juul and Altria deny these allegations. They say their transaction did not harm competition or inflate prices. They appealed the class certification order, and the Ninth Circuit agreed to hear that appeal in April 2026.
Status
Trial Stayed — Class Certification on Appeal
certified Feb 2026 by Hon. William H. Orrick (N.D. Cal.), No. 3:20-cv-02345 · Ninth Circuit No. 26-2626 · Sept 28, 2026 trial date stayed June 15, 2026 · no new date
Opt-Out Deadlines
All Passed
resellers May 8, 2026 · retail consumers May 20, 2026 · direct purchasers June 13, 2026 · class members who did not opt out remain in their class
Class Periods
Oct 2018 – Feb 2026 (varies by class)
direct from Juul/JUUL.com (Oct 5, 2018–Feb 26, 2026); retail pods (Oct 25, 2018–Mar 29, 2024); reseller (Dec 1, 2018–Mar 31, 2025)
Estimated Payout
TBD — Treble Damages Possible
no money available now; depends on a trial outcome or settlement; federal antitrust law allows treble damages
Claim Form / Proof
No Claim Form Yet
nothing to file — a claims process would exist only after a trial win or a settlement
This Is NOT the Old Juul Settlement
This is not the same case as the $300 million Juul consumer settlement. These are two completely separate lawsuits.The old case (In re JUUL Labs, Inc. Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation) alleged that Juul misled consumers about addiction and safety and marketed to minors with flavors and social media ads; Juul and Altria denied the allegations. That case settled. Checks went out, and a second round of payments started going out on March 20, 2026.
This new case (In re Juul Labs, Inc. Antitrust Litigation) is about antitrust price-fixing -- Juul and Altria allegedly conspiring to eliminate competition so they could charge more for pods. This case has not settled, and its trial date is on hold while the Ninth Circuit reviews class certification.
Membership in one does not affect the other. Getting paid from the old settlement does not keep someone out of this antitrust class action. They are different legal claims.
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Who Is Automatically Included?
In February 2026, Judge William H. Orrick of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California certified classes in this case, and official court notice is now live. There are three separate groups, each with its own class period, its own official notice website, and its own opt-out deadline. People who fit one of them and did not opt out are in that class; there is no sign-up or registration.1. Direct Purchasers — Bought Directly From Juul
You may be in the direct purchaser class if you bought JUUL e-vapor products directly from Juul Labs, including through Juul's website (JUUL.com), from October 5, 2018 to February 26, 2026. Direct-purchaser notice began on March 30, 2026, and the deadline to opt out of this class was June 13, 2026, which has passed. Details are on the official direct purchaser site, JuulAntitrust.com.2. Retail Consumers (Indirect Purchasers) — Bought Pods From a Store
You may be in the consumer classes if you purchased Juul pods (not devices, and not pods sold in starter kits containing devices) from a physical retail store — such as a convenience store, gas station, grocery store, or vape shop — for personal use (not resale) between October 25, 2018 and March 29, 2024. There are also separate statewide classes for consumers in states including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Michigan, with claims under those states' antitrust laws. The opt-out deadline for this group was May 20, 2026, which has already passed, so consumers who did not exclude themselves remain in the class. Details are on the official consumer site, JuulAntitrustConsumer.com.3. Business Resellers (Indirect Reseller Class)
There is also a separate class for businesses that bought Juul pods indirectly for resale from December 1, 2018 through March 31, 2025 in listed states. The opt-out deadline for this group was May 8, 2026, which has passed. Details are on the official reseller site, JuulIndirectResellerClassAction.com.Purchases that generally do NOT qualify for the consumer pod classes: purchases of Juul devices (only pods count) and pods that came bundled in kits with devices. Each official notice website explains the exact eligibility rules for its class.
What Does Class Membership Mean Right Now?
All three opt-out deadlines have passed: May 8, 2026 for business resellers, May 20, 2026 for retail consumers and June 13, 2026 for direct purchasers. Class members who did not submit an exclusion request remain in their class without doing anything. Those who opted out keep the right to bring their own claims and would not share in any recovery from this case.There is no claim form. A claims process would exist only if the plaintiffs won at trial or a settlement were reached, and class members would be notified. The Ninth Circuit's ruling could also change who is in the classes, because the appeal is about the classes' scope.
When Is the Trial?
There is no trial date. The trial had been set for September 28, 2026, but after the Ninth Circuit granted the defendants' petition to appeal the class certification order, the parties agreed that date could not hold. The defendants asked Judge Orrick to vacate it and stay the case; the plaintiffs asked him to reset trial for June 1, 2027. At a June 10, 2026 hearing, he said he was not inclined to set a trial date, and on June 15, 2026 he stayed the trial date and all other case deadlines except the class notice and opt-out process, an expert reply report and the arbitration and forum-selection motions.According to the defendants' stay motion, the appeal raises two questions: whether parts of California law could apply to indirect purchasers from other states, so that a multi-state Cartwright Act class might be viable, and whether online purchasers can represent the claims of large commercial distributors in the direct purchaser class. The indirect plaintiffs told the court the appeal concerns the shape of the classes, not liability. In the Ninth Circuit, the plaintiffs filed their answering briefs on September 21, 2026, the American Antitrust Institute filed an amicus brief on September 28, and the defendants' reply brief is due November 12, 2026. No argument date has been set.
A new trial date is not expected until the Ninth Circuit rules. There is no guarantee the plaintiffs will win, and no guarantee class members will receive any money.
What Is Happening With the Arbitration Motions?
In July 2026, Juul Labs and the individual defendants moved to enforce arbitration agreements against certain class members, and all defendants moved to enforce forum-selection clauses against certain class members. The direct purchaser plaintiffs opposed both motions. Judge Orrick heard them on September 23, 2026 and took them under submission, with a written order to follow. A ruling for the defendants could remove some people from the classes; the filings describing which class members are affected were largely filed under seal.How Much Could I Get?
No payment amounts have been determined because the case has not been decided yet. If the plaintiffs won or a settlement were reached, payments would be calculated based on how much each class member allegedly overpaid for Juul pods due to the alleged price-fixing. The more pods you bought during the class period, the higher your potential recovery.The scope of this case is significant. Juul controlled roughly 72% of the e-cigarette market at its peak in 2018. Millions of consumers bought Juul pods from retail stores during the class period. If antitrust damages are proven, the total liability could be substantial -- and under federal antitrust law, damages can be tripled (treble damages).
When Will the Claim Form Be Available?
There is no claim form, and there will not be one unless the plaintiffs win at trial or a settlement is reached. With the trial stayed pending the Ninth Circuit's review of class certification, no claims process is on the horizon. If a settlement were reached, a claims process would be announced as part of its terms, and class members would be notified.What Could the Total Settlement Be Worth?
No settlement amount has been announced because no settlement exists yet. But we can look at the scale of the market to understand what is at stake.During the class period (October 2018 through March 2024), Juul was the dominant e-cigarette brand in the United States. At its peak in late 2018, Juul held approximately 72% of the entire e-cigarette market. A 4-pack of JUULpods retailed for approximately $15.99. Millions of consumers purchased pods regularly -- many buying multiple packs per week. The total consumer spending on Juul pods during the class period runs into the billions of dollars.
The lawsuit alleges that pod prices were artificially inflated because Altria removed its competing products from the market as part of its deal with Juul. If the court determines that prices were, say, 10% to 30% higher than they would have been in a competitive market, the overcharge across all consumers over a five-and-a-half-year class period would be enormous. And under federal antitrust law, those damages are automatically tripled.
For context, the old Juul marketing settlement was $300 million. Antitrust cases of this scale -- involving a dominant market player, a multi-billion dollar acquisition, and years of allegedly inflated consumer prices -- have historically produced settlements and verdicts in the hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. We are not predicting a specific number, but the potential liability here is very large.
Could Payouts Be as Large as the First Juul Settlement?
It is too early to say with certainty, but there are reasons to believe individual payouts in this case could be meaningful.In the original $300 million Juul marketing settlement, the average first-round payment was approximately $240. Some heavy users received $5,000 to $10,000 or more, depending on how much they spent on Juul products and whether they were youth purchasers who received the 4x weighting multiplier.
This antitrust case has a different structure. Payments would be based on the price overcharge per pod, multiplied by the number of pods you bought, potentially tripled under antitrust law. A regular user who bought a 4-pack every week for several years could have a substantial claim if the overcharge percentage is significant.
Whether individual payouts reach the $10,000+ range that some claimants received in the old settlement depends entirely on three things: the total settlement or verdict amount, how many class members file claims, and the per-pod overcharge calculation.
The honest answer: nobody knows yet. But the ingredients for a large recovery are present -- dominant market share, billions in consumer spending, federal treble damages, and a class period spanning over five years. This is a case worth watching closely.
What Records Could Matter If Claims Open?
No claims process exists, so no proof requirement has been set. In the earlier $300 million Juul settlement, claimants could submit receipts for retail purchases or rely on standard retail prices set in the plan of allocation, and purchases from Juul's website were matched to the company's records. Any claim form in this antitrust case would set its own requirements.Case Information
Case: In re Juul Labs, Inc. Antitrust Litigation
Case Number: 3:20-cv-02345 (filed April 7, 2020)
Court: U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Judge: Hon. William H. Orrick
Defendants: Juul Labs, Inc.; Altria Group, Inc.; Altria Enterprises LLC; and individual defendants Nicholas J. Pritzker and Riaz Valani
Allegation: Antitrust -- plaintiffs allege the defendants conspired to restrain competition and inflate Juul pod prices; the defendants deny it
Status: Classes certified (February 2026); certification order on appeal; trial date and most deadlines stayed (June 15, 2026)
Direct Purchaser Class: bought directly from Juul / JUUL.com, Oct 5, 2018 -- Feb 26, 2026 (opt-out deadline June 13, 2026 -- passed)
Retail Consumer Classes: bought pods from a physical store for personal use, Oct 25, 2018 -- Mar 29, 2024 (statewide classes incl. CA, IL, MA, MI; opt-out deadline May 20, 2026 -- passed)
Business Reseller Class: bought pods indirectly for resale, Dec 1, 2018 -- Mar 31, 2025, in listed states (opt-out deadline May 8, 2026 -- passed)
Appeal: Black v. Altria Group, Inc., No. 26-2626 (9th Cir.) -- review of the class certification order; reply brief due November 12, 2026
Trial Date: None -- the September 28, 2026 date was stayed; no new date set
Claim Form: Not yet available -- will open only if the case succeeds
Settlement Amount: None -- no settlement has been announced
Official Websites: JuulAntitrust.com (direct purchasers), JuulAntitrustConsumer.com (retail consumers), JuulIndirectResellerClassAction.com (resellers)
Official Case Websites
• JuulAntitrust.com — direct purchaser class• JuulAntitrustConsumer.com — retail consumer (indirect purchaser) classes
• JuulIndirectResellerClassAction.com — business reseller class
What About the Old Juul Settlement?
If you are looking for information about the previous $300 million Juul consumer settlement (the one about deceptive marketing and targeting minors), that is a completely separate case. That settlement has already been approved, first-round payments went out in 2024-2025, and second-round payments started going out on March 20, 2026. Here are the relevant pages:• Juul $255M Class Action Settlement (Original)
• Juul Labs Settlement Details
• Juul $300M Settlement Second Payment -- $15.3M Going to 165,982 Claimants
• Juul Settlement Remaining Funds Explained -- Why Millions Were Left Unclaimed
The old settlement is closed to new claims. The claim deadline was February 5, 2024. If you missed it, you cannot file now. But this new antitrust case is separate, and if you bought Juul pods from a store during the class period, you are automatically part of it.
Sources
• Official Direct Purchaser Notice Website -- JuulAntitrust.com• Official Consumer (Indirect Purchaser) Notice Website -- JuulAntitrustConsumer.com
• Official Indirect Reseller Notice Website -- JuulIndirectResellerClassAction.com
• Order certifying classes, February 26, 2026, Hon. William H. Orrick, U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal.; court-approved class notice (direct purchaser notice began March 30, 2026)
• Defendants' Motion for Stay Pending Appeal (ECF No. 676, May 4, 2026); indirect plaintiffs' and direct purchaser plaintiffs' responses (ECF Nos. 681, 682); minute entry of June 10, 2026 hearing (ECF No. 687); order granting in part and denying in part the motion to stay (ECF No. 691, June 15, 2026)
• Order continuing the arbitration and forum-selection motion hearing (ECF No. 700, July 13, 2026); minute entry of September 23, 2026 hearing, motions taken under submission (ECF No. 713)
• Black v. Altria Group, Inc., No. 26-2626 (9th Cir.) -- order granting permission to appeal (No. 26-1519, April 27, 2026); answering briefs filed September 21, 2026; order of September 24, 2026 setting the reply brief deadline of November 12, 2026
• Docket -- In re Juul Labs, Inc. Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:20-cv-02345 (N.D. Cal.), filed April 7, 2020 (CourtListener)
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
| Juul Antitrust Class Action Summary | |
| Status | Classes certified -- certification on appeal (9th Cir. No. 26-2626) -- trial stayed |
|---|---|
| Allegation | Antitrust price-fixing (inflated pod prices) |
| Defendants | Juul Labs, Inc.; Altria Group, Inc.; Altria Enterprises LLC; two individual defendants |
| Case No. | 3:20-cv-02345 (N.D. Cal.) |
| Classes | Direct purchasers; retail consumers (indirect); business resellers |
| Opt-Out Deadlines | All passed -- direct purchasers June 13, 2026; retail consumers May 20, 2026; resellers May 8, 2026 |
| Trial Date | None -- Sept 28, 2026 date stayed June 15, 2026; no new date |
| Claim Form | Not yet available |
| Settlement Amount | None yet -- no money available now |
| Official Websites | Juul Antitrust.com (direct), Juul Antitrust Consumer.com (retail), Juul Indirect Reseller Class Action.com (resellers) |
