⁍ Juul Labs Inc has largely lost a bid to dismiss or stay hundreds of lawsuits by consumers and local governments.

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⁍ U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco rejected the company’s arguments that the Food and Drug Administration, not the court, has primary jurisdiction over e-cigarette marketing.

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– A federal judge in San Francisco has refused to dismiss or stay hundreds of lawsuits accusing e-cigarette maker Juul Labs of fueling a youth vaping epidemic. US District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco on Friday rejected the company’s arguments that the Food and Drug Administration, not the court, has primary jurisdiction over e-cigarette marketing, and that the plaintiffs’ claims are preempted by federal law, reports Westlaw Today. The lawsuits, brought by parents, teachers, and officials in states including California, Virginia, and New York, accuse Juul of marketing e-cigarettes to minors and saturating the US e-cigarette market with low-cost brands. In his ruling, Orrick wrote that the FDA has “sole authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and sale of e-cigarettes.” Juul argued that the FDA has no jurisdiction over e-cigarettes, and that the plaintiffs’ claims are preempted by federal law.