# Tobacco and nicotine company litigation

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/tobacco-and-nicotine-company-litigation
> Updated: 2026-08-18T00:15:00.000Z. Sources: 54. Developments: 2.

Legal challenges against tobacco and nicotine companies regarding deceptive marketing practices are progressing in both the United States and Canada.

In the United States, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a divided decision allowing consumer class-action lawsuits to proceed against British American Tobacco and its subsidiaries. The litigation alleges that products like Natural American Spirit were marketed using terms such as ‘100% Additive-Free’, ‘Natural’, and ‘Organic’ to mislead consumers into believing they were safer or healthier.

In British Columbia, Canada, JUUL Labs and Altria Group are making a second attempt to appeal a Supreme Court decision that certified a class action lawsuit. The litigation, initiated in 2019 by Owen Mann-Campbell and Robert Osborn, alleges the companies deceptively marketed e-cigarettes as a safe alternative to traditional smoking, seeking damages for negligence, unjust enrichment, and breaches of consumer protection laws. While the certification by Justice Christopher Giaschic does not constitute a finding of fault, it allows the proceedings to move forward. Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society characterized the companies’ appeal as a strategy to “delay trial and potential damage payments.” Separately, the B.C. government has filed its own suit to recover healthcare costs related to vaping.

## Claims

- JUUL Labs and Altria Group are appealing a B.C. Supreme Court class action certification. (corroborated by 12 sources)
- The lawsuit alleges companies deceptively marketed e-cigarettes as a safe alternative to smoking. (corroborated by 12 sources)
- B.C. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Giaschicertified the case as a class action on July 15. (corroborated by 12 sources)
- The companies filed notice of their intent to appeal on August 13. (corroborated by 12 sources)
- The B.C. government has filed a separate suit to recover health-care costs related to vaping. (corroborated by 12 sources)
- Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society claims the appeal is a strategy to delay damages. (corroborated by 12 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-08-18: JUUL Labs and Altria appeal B.C. class action certification

JUUL Labs and Altria Group are appealing the certification of a B.C. class action lawsuit alleging deceptive marketing of e-cigarettes as safe alternatives to smoking.

54 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/juul-labs-and-altria-group-appeal-bc-class-action-certification

### 2026-07-29: 10th U.S. Circuit Court Allows Class Actions Against British American Tobacco Over Misleading Cigarette Labels

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court lets class actions proceed against British American Tobacco for allegedly misleading Natural American Spirit labels, upholding menthol claims and rejecting an administrative‑feasibl​

12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/10th-us-circuit-court-allows-class-actions-against-british-american-tobacco-over-misleading-cigarett

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Cite as: Tobacco and nicotine company litigation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/tobacco-and-nicotine-company-litigation