A lawsuit filed by a Georgia woman against L’Oréal and other companies over chemical hair relaxers will proceed. The woman, Kiara Burroughs, claims the products caused her to develop uterine fibroids and that the companies failed to warn consumers about the risks. The lawsuit also names SoftSheen-Carson and Strength of Nature.
Burroughs began using hair relaxers at the age of six and continued until she was about 25. After studies linked hair relaxers to uterine fibroids, she filed her lawsuit in 2022, accusing the companies of failing to warn, fraud, manufacturing defects, and negligence.
“Accountability is always first on the list. And if these products can’t be made safer, they need to be removed,” Burroughs’ lawyer told Georgia Public Broadcasting in January 2024.
The defendants tried to dismiss the case, citing preemption laws and Georgia’s statutes of limitations and repose. However, the trial court denied their motion, stating the statute of limitations had not expired, and her claim was not preempted by federal laws.
An appeal by the defendants led the Georgia Court of Appeals to allow some of Burroughs’ claims, including fraud and negligence, to proceed. The case will return to the trial court for further rulings.
Thousands of Hair Relaxer Claims Pending
Burroughs’ case is one of many similar lawsuits. Over 8,100 hair relaxer claims are pending in the Northern District of Illinois multidistrict litigation (MDL). These cases focus on health issues such as uterine, endometrial, and ovarian cancer.
The plaintiffs argue that the companies did not warn them about the toxic chemicals in the products, which they claim caused their health problems. They also assert that the marketing targeted women of color.
A 2022 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found a link between hair straightening products and uterine cancer. Other studies have connected these products to ovarian cancer. The lawsuits claim that chemicals in hair relaxers, such as phthalates, parabens, and DEHP, are endocrine disruptors, leading to abnormal cell growth and cancers.
The risk increases the longer a woman uses these products. Burroughs started using relaxers at age six. Attorney Daniel Nigh, representing many plaintiffs, noted that some of his clients started using these products at a young age and now, in their 20s, are being treated for cancer. Some have undergone treatments like hysterectomies, preventing them from having children.
Nigh also highlighted that hair relaxer companies have long targeted black women and other communities of color.
On June 13, 2024, Magistrate Judge Sheila M. Finnegan appointed Professor Maura R. Grossman as Special Master for the multidistrict litigation in Illinois. Grossman will assist with discovery disputes and provide recommendations to the judges.
There are no trial dates set yet, and discovery is ongoing.
