AUSTIN - The Harris Health System, previously known as the Harris County Hospital District, has submitted a contingent contract to the Office of the Attorney General for approval in order to pursue e-cigarette and vaping litigation.
The approval request was sent on May 25 and asks for an expedited review, records show.
According to the professional services agreement, Harris Health has found a substantial need to employ special counsel to assist in a lawsuit to recover damages suffered as a result of the design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes pods by Juul and the Altria Group.
The list of special counsel includes the Law Office of Richard Schechter, P.C., Reich & Binstock, LLP, Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams and Aughtry, Boucher LLP, J. Jackson Law Office, PLLC, and Law Office of J. Michael Solar PLLC.
Under the questionnaire portion of the request, Harris Health wrote the following in one of its responses:
“To address Defendants’ relentless profiteering from the marketing of its products, including to the urban youth of America, which has created a crisis of epic proportion that is much like the youth-oriented marketing of the major tobacco companies a few decades ago. Litigation will provide Harris Health with its only avenue to redress the harms caused to the county in terms of diverted resources from its health care budgets.”
Subject to the supervision, direction, and control of the Harris County Attorney’s Office, special counsel will prosecute a civil case on behalf of Harris Health against the defendants, according to the agreement.