Gen Z reacts to unexpected payouts from Juul class-action lawsuit: ‘Just woke up to $1,600’

Gen Z was in for a pleasant surprise when Juul’s class action lawsuit payouts were distributed.

After many filed claims in a class-action lawsuit against Juul in 2021, some were shocked to have received a lawsuit payment on 21 October. When Drewe Raimi filed as a college student, she said she did it as a joke, but to her surprise years later, she received an unexpected Venmo payment of nearly $3,500 from “Juul Labs, Inc. Settlement Administrator.”

To the song “Life Is Worth Living” by Justin Bieber playing in the background, Raimi recorded a clip of herself celebrating. She wrote in the overlaid text, “POV: you just got $3k Venmo from a class action lawsuit against JUUL you forgot you filled out as a JOKE 2 years ago in college.”

Dozens of Gen Z Tik Tok users similarly reacted to the surprise payout, with some noting in Raimi’s comment section that they received different amounts.

“I also got [$3,000] literally fell to my knees when I got the [notification]!” one user joked.

“Don’t even remember filing out a claim and I got $6,000!” someone else revealed.

“I just woke up to $1600,” another person wrote. “How do we all have different amounts?!?! I forgot I did this!”

Raimi replied noting that she’d seen amounts ranging from $200 to even $7,000.

Juul’s legal woes have finally led to massive payouts after claims that the company misled consumers about how addictive and dangerous its products are, and that they were unlawfully marketed to teens. The settlement, split between Juul’s $255 million agreement and Altria’s $45 million contribution, amounts to $300 million in total—paving the way for compensation. Altria is no longer a stakeholder in Juul, following the divestment of its minority stake last year.

In March, a federal judge greenlit Altria’s portion of the settlement, following Juul’s approval in January 2024. By that point, over 14 million claims had been filed, and the verification process for around 842,000 eligible customers is finally underway. Claimants without proof of purchase will see their compensation capped at $300.

While Altria denies the allegations and Juul has not admitted any wrongdoing, both companies agreed to settle. A court has yet to rule on whether they violated any laws.

Although Juul initially settled in 2022, it wasn’t until earlier this year that Altria approved the payouts. The deadline to file claims has passed, leaving a total of roughly $202 million—after fees, taxes, and contingencies—to be divided among eligible claimants. Exact payout amounts vary depending on the receipts customers could provide, though an average hasn’t been made public yet.

Juul’s fate remains murky with the FDA rescinding an earlier ban on Juul products in June but stopped short of giving them the green light, pending further health studies and legal reviews.