Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuit
Hair relaxer cancer lawsuits claim exposure to the chemicals in hair straighteners and relaxers have caused cancer in people who have used them. Scientific studies have linked hair relaxer chemicals to endometrial cancer or uterine cancer.Our law firm is investigating litigation for people who developed endometrial cancer or uterine cancer, or who suffered through major surgery for uterine fibroids after regular use of chemical hair straighteners or hair relaxer products.
For more than 30 years, attorney David Matthews – of Matthews & Associates Law Firm – has represented injured plaintiffs in product liability claims. Never afraid to take a corporation to court when necessary, he has tried more than 150 cases to verdict. He and his firm fight for plaintiffs who’ve been injured by dangerous products such as cancer-causing hair straighteners.
Hair Straightener Lawsuits filed
• 5 cases – the Northern District of Illinois
• 2 cases – Southern District of Georgia
• 1 case – the Northern District of California
• 1 case – the Southern District of New York
Missouri Woman sues L-Oreal & others over Uterine Cancer
On October 21, 2022, a Missouri woman sued L’Oreal USA Products Inc., Strength of Nature Global, Soft Sheen/Carson Inc., Soft Sheen Carson Inc., Dabur International Ltd, Dabur USA Inc., and Namaste Laboratories, LLC. Jenny Mitchell alleges that she developed uterine cancer after using the cosmetic companies’ hair-straightening products. Federal court in Chicago received her complaint.
The Defendants’ products contain phthalates and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals, said the complaint, and Ms. Mitchell’s regular and prolonged exposure to these chemicals resulted in her uterine cancer diagnosis.
Jenny Mitchell, 28, said in the complaint that she began using these hair-relaxer products in 2000. She was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2018. She underwent a full hysterectomy that same year. The complaint states that Ms. Mitchell was then forced to undergo a full hysterectomy, which destroyed her chance to have children. She has since, it states, suffered “extreme pain and suffering and extreme emotional distress.”
Hair Straightener and Relaxer Products Named in the Lawsuit
Allegedly defective products named in Ms. Mitchell’s complaint include:
- Dark & Lovely
- Motions
- Olive Oil Relaxer
- Organic Root Stimulator
Black People pressured to follow “Standard of Beauty”
Several pages of the complaint detail defendants’ efforts to market their hair straighteners and relaxers with “Eurocentric standards of beauty.” These marketing ploys spring-boarded from messaging, dating back to slave-days, that less kinky, straighter hair could improve the lives of Black men and women.
Hair Relaxer Harms known since 2015?
The companies allegedly failed to warn people of hair relaxer products’ health risks despite knowing, since at least 2015, that they contained harmful ingredients. The defendants, say the lawsuit petition, produce, package, market, and sell a broad range of hair straightener and relaxer products, some of which target young Black girls.
November 16, 2022: New Hair Relaxer Class Action Lawsuit Sought
On November 15, 2022, attorneys who represent a group of plaintiffs who have filed hair relaxer cancer lawsuits filed a motion with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). The motion requests that hair relaxer lawsuits be consolidated into a class action lawsuit.
That motion further notes that nine hair relaxer cases have been filed in four different federal district courts involving thirteen different plaintiffs. All those cases allege hair relaxer products caused uterine cancer. The motion also says it has long been known that hair relaxers cause burns that give their toxic chemicals a pathway to the body’s immune system.
The motion requests that the MDL be assigned to Judge Mary Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago). Defendants named in that motion include L’Oreal USA, Inc. and a few smaller, non-public companies. The defendants are expected to agree to the class action, but plaintiffs’ attorneys anticipate defendants are likely to request an alternative venue they may view as more favorable than Chicago.
Hair Straightener Settlement?
Though no hair straightener settlement has been reached, the sheer number of people likely affected by these products makes it appear possible that many more hair straightener lawsuits will be filed.
Anyone who developed breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer following prolonged use of hair straighteners and/or relaxers may be able to recover damages that include past and future medical treatment costs, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and perhaps punitive damages.
Non Cases
Our law firm is not handling these types of injuries for hair relaxer lawsuits:
- Breast Cancer
- Endometriosis
- Uterine fibroids (unless uterine/endometrial ablation or uterine artery embolization (UAE/UFE)
Case Criteria Usage Requirements
Case criteria is subject to change as more scientific information is revealed. For now, we see the minimum use for a potential case is four (4) times per year. The longer the use, the more likely plaintiff’s attorneys may be able to pursue a case. A claimant should have used the hair relaxer products for at least two (2) years, though five (5) years or more of hair relaxer use is preferred. We also think stronger cases are those in which usage immediately preceded a cancer diagnosis. If a woman has discontinued her use years before she was diagnosed with cancer, then usage should be greater than five years.
Hair Straightener Lawsuit Consultation
We are investigating wrongful death lawsuits in cases where a loved one died from endometrial or uterine cancer after regular use of hair straightener products. We are also looking at potential cases where a woman was diagnosed with endometrial cancer or uterine cancer after prolonged use of hair straightener products. Contact our law firm for a free legal consultation.
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