Lawsuit Demands Juul Fund Treatment for the MA Adolescents it Addicted
Today, the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) took the first step in launching a public health class action lawsuit in Massachusetts against Juul Labs, the makers of the most popular e-cigarette in the United States, for designing and marketing its product to appeal to and addict adolescents. This is the first such case brought against […]
Juul Addicts Massachusetts Teens
In less than four years, Juul has become the overwhelming leader in the electronic cigarette market — especially among teens throughout Massachusetts. This has left thousands of teens addicted to the high doses of nicotine that Juul delivers to their developing brains. If your Massachusetts teen became addicted to nicotine from Juuling before the age […]
U.S. Virgin Islands Juries Deliver $113 Million Verdicts Against R.J. Reynolds to families of Deceased Newport Smokers
The Public Health Advocacy Institute (“PHAI”) is pleased to announce that two tobacco lawsuits tried this month in St. Thomas, V.I., have concluded with verdicts totaling $113.3 million. The cases, Gerald v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Brown v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., were brought by the children of two deceased smokers who had been hooked on Newport cigarettes as minors.
2018 Altria Group Annual Shareholders Meeting – A Time of Transitions
By Edward L. Sweda, Jr., Senior Attorney It became clear in the months leading up to the May 17th Annual Shareholders Meeting for Altria Group that 2018 would be a time for change for the company. In January, Chairman, CEO and President Martin Barrington publicly announced his intention to retire due to the approach of […]
Welch’s Fruit Snack Questions
Thank you for taking the time to respond! We are a public health advocacy organization in Boston concerned with the nutrition and marketing practices. Please help us better understand your choice to buy Welch’s Fruit Snacks by completing this very short questionnaire. Any information you provide us will not be shared with any third parties […]
PHAI Submits Comment Opposing Proposed School Food Nutrition Rollbacks
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to issue a rule to weaken the school food nutritional requirements of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2012. The rule would allow flavored milk with added sugar, waive requirement to provide whole grains, and delay reductions of sodium levels in school foods. PHAI submitted a comment to […]
End of Year Appeal
This year, PHAI continued moving cases against Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds to trial, went to court to tell Coca-Cola and the American Beverage Association to be honest about the link between sugar drink consumption and disease, and have been working on a number of other potential lawsuits with a public health impact. We provided […]
Developing State Policy Recommendations for Safe Drinking Water Procurement in Child Care Centers and Schools
Access to safe and appealing drinking water in child care centers and schools is a key strategy to build healthy habits that children will use for life to maintain a healthy body weight and to support overall health. This study sought to identify and summarize state-level policies in twenty states for drinking water quality and […]
FDA Reboots Tobacco Regulation with Harm Reduction
On Friday, July 28, 2017, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb unveiled a revamped approach to tobacco product regulation in an announcement that surprised tobacco companies, investors, and the public health community in equal measure. The goal, as articulated by Gottlieb, will be to regulate products so as to encourage migrating existing consumers from […]
New Lawsuit Alleges Coca-Cola, American Beverage Association Deceiving Public About Soda-Related Health Problems
Despite the scientifically established link between consuming sugar drinks and obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, the Coca-Cola Company and its trade association, the American Beverage Association, deceive consumers by denying and obscuring soda’s link to those diseases, according to a lawsuit filed today. Bringing the action filed today in the Superior Court of […]
