Altria Can Keep Its Investment in Juul, Judge Rules

Altria Group Inc. didn’t break antitrust laws when it took a large stake in e-cigarette startup Juul Labs Inc. in 2018, an administrative law judge ruled.

The Federal Trade Commission sued two years ago to unwind the deal, saying the Marlboro maker had violated antitrust laws. Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell, who presided over a three-week trial last summer, dismissed the FTC’s claims Tuesday, Altria said.