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That brings the total number of pending cases in the MDL up from 21 last month to 78. We expect this trend to continue and the volume of new cases to get even bigger as the year progresses. We could easily see this MDL averaging 200 new cases per month by the end of the summer. Phthalates are commonly referred to as “plasticizers” because they are chemicals that are durable to certain types of pliable plastics.
Best for Sensitive Scalps
To follow up on the late update yesterday, the JPML agreed to centralize all hair relaxer lawsuits in federal courts into a new class action MDL. The new hair relaxer class action litigation has been assigned to Judge Mary Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago. Judge Rowland spent several years as a Magistrate Judge in Chicago before being elevated to the federal bench in 2019 with strong bipartisan support. The new MDL starts with around 60 cases pending in federal courts nationwide. New Hair relaxer lawsuits continue to get directly filed in the Northern District of Illinois, which houses all of the class action lawsuits.
Best for Volume
The initial bellwether trial is scheduled for November 3, 2025, with a second trial set for February 2, 2026. While these trial dates may seem distant -because they are – this is how it works in complex MDL class action lawsuits. But as far off as it is, scheduling of bellwether trials is a key step in the MDL process. It puts real pressure on the defendants to settle as that trial date approaches. Hopefully, reasonable settlement payouts will be offered to victims long before these trial dates come to pass.
14 Best Hair Oils of 2024, Tested by Experts - Good Housekeeping
14 Best Hair Oils of 2024, Tested by Experts.
Posted: Fri, 13 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The 12 Best Hair Relaxers for Straightening Without Breakage
The hair relaxer lawsuit filed by Jenny Mitchell is the first of what could potentially be thousands of new product liability lawsuits filed against cosmetic companies that manufacture chemical hair relaxers. These lawsuits will allege that the manufacturers knew, or should have known, that the chemicals in their products could increase the risk of uterine cancer. In most states, it would not be too late to file a hair relaxer lawsuit based on the discovery rule. When you were first diagnosed with uterine cancer 7 years ago, you would have had no reason to think that your cancer was somehow related to hair relaxer. The connection between uterine cancer and chemical hair relaxer products did not become public knowledge until October 2022 were findings from the NIH Sister Study were published. This means that in states that follow the discovery rule (which is most of them), the statute of limitations on hair relaxer lawsuits did not begin to run until October 2022 at the earliest.
Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuit
Even more significant, the incidence rate of uterine cancer increase was even higher among women who reported using hair relaxers more frequently. In October 2022, the results of a groundbreaking new medical study on the association between hair relaxers and cancer were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study took over 10 years and looked at the incidence rate of cancer among women who regularly used hair relaxers vs. women who never used hair relaxers. At the MDL status hearing last week, Judge Rowland weighed in on several discovery disputes between the parties.
Over the last month, 25 new hair relaxer lawsuits were transferred into the class action MDL. When the MDL was created in February there were only 21 pending cases. We expect the volume of new case filing to increase dramatically at some point in the next few months. As the hair relaxer class action continues to explode with new cases, a major early discovery battle appears to be developing between the plaintiffs and the defendants.
A hair relaxer is a product used primarily by African American women to make their hair lay flat and straighten. These products use a strong combination of chemicals that attack the hair’s protein structure, causing it to flatten and lay down. Plaintiffs’ lawyers in the hair relaxer MDL are asking the court to order an 11% holdback of compensation plaintiffs’ receive for their work in the case. Overall, our favorite hair relaxer is the Dark and Lovely Moisturizing No-Lye Relaxer with Shea Butter, which we loved for being super easy to use and straightening hair without compromising strength or shine. We also think our budget pick, Revlon Professional Regular Conditioning Creme Relaxer, is an affordable, effective product for relaxing pros. Of course, it’s important to find a relaxer suited especially to your needs.
The lawsuit alleges that Mitchell started using hair relaxers when she was 10 years old. Like many black women in America, Mitchell used hair relaxer products every 6-8 weeks for the next 18 years. In 2018, when she was just 28 years old, Mitchell was diagnosed with uterine cancer. The new medical monitoring lawsuit was filed last week in federal court in Michigan.
This no-lye relaxer kit, which uses calcium hydroxide instead, is more gentle. It puts the health of your hair first with hydrating ingredients like coconut oil and comes with six easy steps (from pre-treatment to conditioner) to ensure up to 90 percent less breakage than traditional relaxers. That said, some users still said it dried their hair out, so if that’s a concern for you, try double conditioning. Dark & Lovely’s Triple Nourished Silkening No-Lye Relaxer is a classic for a reason. The results are consistent, and the formula aims to protect the five signs of healthy hair – moisture, shine, strength, softness, and body – using hydrating ingredients like shea butter, jojoba, and avocado oils.
These lawsuits are usually filed against a common group of defendants across different jurisdictions but involve similar issues. As predicted, Judge Mary Rowland has upheld the majority of claims in the class action lawsuit against major hair relaxer manufacturers. The MDL judge’s ruling pushed back on the defendants’ weak preemption argument, finding that federal law does not invalidate the plaintiffs’ state law claims, particularly those alleging negligence and product liability. Warranty claims under state law and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act also met the standards for continuation.
If you’d rather avoid harsh lye formulas, this no-lye product is a winner. Each year only 20,000 cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the U.S., making it relatively rare. Unfortunately, ovarian cancer only has a 5-year survival rate of 47%.
At least five more hair relaxer lawsuits were filed in federal courts since the start of December. One of the hair straightener cases was filed in the Southern District of Ohio. Three of these chemical hair straightener lawsuits allege uterine cancer. Revlon is a major cosmetic company that manufactures and sells several brands of chemical hair relaxer products. The only reason that Revlon has not been pulled into the hair relaxer class action lawsuit as a defendant is that Revlon Inc. filed bankruptcy shortly before the hair relaxer litigation got started. As a result, the automatic bankruptcy stay has protected Revlon from being sued.
Lawsuits like the hair relaxer litigation are rarely won with a Perry Mason moment at trial. They are more typically won in the trenches getting the documents necessary to prove your case. If you’re prone to scalp irritation, this gentle relaxing formula is a great choice. Follow with one of our tested and reviewed scalp treatments for better hair health.
Does this mean that most hair relaxer lawsuits involve uterine cancer? But there is universal consensus that uterine cancer lawsuits have the strongest supporting science (the Sister Study we discuss below) and uterine cancer is obviously an awful consequence of using hair relaxers. So lawyers are filing uterine cancer lawsuits first because the early verdicts will impact victims’ settlement compensation. Millions of African American women in the U.S. use hair relaxer products regularly.
The hair relaxer class action MDL has been the fastest growing mass tort over the last few months. Back in June, there were only 149 pending cases in the hair relaxer MDL. As of this week, the number of pending hair relaxer lawsuits has swelled to 2,244. If this pace continues, and we fully expect that it will, we will pass 4,000 cases by the end of the year and could surpass 10,000 cases before the end of 2024. We think it could end up being comparable in size to the talcum powder MDL, which currently has 47,000 pending cases. As we predicted at the start, the hair relaxer class action litigation is starting to explode.
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