In a recent development, a federal judge in California gave approval to e-cigarette investor Altria’s settlement for $45.5 million and simultaneously greenlit the request for legal counsel fees of $13.65 million. These actions were taken to resolve consumer claims in Altria’s broader $235 million multidistrict settlement agreement concerning the Juul e-cigarette.
Despite such an agreement, the judge voiced concern over fraudulent claims that were allegedly submitted by AI and “click farms”. Labeling these issues as a “real problem”, the judge has since asked federal prosecutors to investigate this matter.
More details about this ongoing case are available here.