Major Issues with Hair Relaxers Lead to Lawsuits
Hair relaxers often contain formaldehyde, benzene, and parabens, three known dangerous substances. These products also contain phthalates, bisphenol A, ammonium thioglycolate, guanidine carbonate, dimethyl sulfoxide, and other powerful chemicals that are not entirely safe. As such, according to the U.S. government, women who use hair relaxers have three times the risk of certain kinds of cancer, mostly uterine cancer.
To many people, especially to many product manufacturers, more is always better. Indeed, most consumers want more: more flavor, more choices, more effectiveness, and so on. But as the above statistic indicates, more may be better for sales, but more is not always better for people. Companies have a legal and moral duty to prioritize the safety and well-being of their customers above the money in their customers’ bank accounts.
When companies neglect their legal and moral responsibilities, leading to harm, an experienced personal injury lawyer can step in to hold the companies accountable for their actions. At a minimum, this accountability means paying fair compensation for serious injuries. This accountability also means changing the way a company does business so other people are not hurt in the future.
Negligent Hair Relaxer Manufacturers
There is evidence that L’Oréal, Pantene, Revlon, Softsheen Carson, and other companies knew about the dangerous side effects of routine exposure to the harmful chemicals in their products. Ultimately, they did nothing to warn consumers about the risks and instead chose profits over people.
These companies had plenty of chances to adequately warn customers and otherwise do the right thing. But they did not seize those opportunities. Now, it is necessary to go to the next level.
In only a few months, survivors have already filed hundreds of legal actions. Like many other environmental hazard lawsuits, authorities have consolidated these actions and all actions to be filed in a single federal court, at least for pretrial purposes.
These actions allege the same basic facts and make the same fundamental claims. Hair relaxer companies kept selling these creams and ointments, even though they knew about the greatly elevated uterine cancer risk. This consolidation, which lawyers call multidistrict litigation (MDL) consolidation, is usually good for survivors.
Plaintiffs from across the country pool resources in their legal fight against large chemical companies. Additionally, the MDL process usually includes several bellwether trials so both sides accurately determine the strength of their claims and defenses. Finally, if a case does not settle, it usually returns to its original jurisdiction for trial. In that case, a personal injury lawyer retains something of a “home-field advantage.”
Damage Awards Available for Victims
Cancer treatments are much more effective today than they were in decades past. But progress is not cheap. Cancer treatments are also substantially more expensive today than they were 30 years ago. Without sufficient financial resources, uterine cancer victims have little chance of survival.
Even if a health insurance plan pays these expenses, the plan normally only covers about 80% of the cost. That’s a pretty big “if.” Most group health plans exclude injury-related costs.
An experienced personal injury lawyer not only obtains compensation for past medical bills, but also they obtain compensation for future medical expenses and other economic damages such as lost wages.
Modern cancer treatments are also incredibly painful. In fact, the pain of cancer barely outweighs the pain of cancer treatments. Survivors should not have to bear their pain and suffering alone and without compensation. Since the hair relaxer company caused this emotional distress, the hair relaxer company should pay for it.
We mentioned the social justice aspect of these lawsuits above. Companies will not alter their business practices unless they must also pay substantial punitive damages. These damages are available if there is clear and convincing evidence that the company intentionally disregarded a known risk.
Compassionate Hair Relaxer Lawyers Available
If you or a loved one has developed uterine cancer after regular use of a hair relaxer for over two years, call the compassionate hair relaxer lawyers at The Yost Legal Group today: 1-800-967-8529. There is no fee unless you recover.