Pennsylvania Woman Plans Lawsuit Against Wen Hair Care Defective Products
Aficionados of late-night infomercials are likely familiar with WEN Hair Care products – the celebrity-endorsed hair-care line that claims to take the place of your shampoo, conditioner and more. The product is marketed as a natural way – a sulfate-free way – to make your hair clean and oh so smooth. The only problem? The internet exploded in December with claims that WEN Hair Care products were in fact defective products that caused women’s hair to fall out, reportedly even causing bald spots and other woes for some users. Those allegations quickly turned into a class-action lawsuit later that month. Media reports indicate that as many as 200 women in 40 states joined the class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer of the alleged defective products, as well as Guthy-Renker, which produced Wen Hair Care’s infomercials. In the class-action lawsuit against the alleged defective products, the plaintiffs assert that WEN Hair Care products:
- Can cause serious – and even permanent – damage to hair
- Can cause significant hair loss
- Can cause visible bald spots
- Can cause hair to break
- Can cause scalp irritation
- Can cause rash
But that’s not all. The plaintiffs in the
class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer of the alleged defective products say that the company failed to warn customers of the potential dangers of the product. They allege:
- That Guthy-Renker removed negative reviews online about the WEN Hair Care product line
- That Guthy-Renker blocked users who made negative comments about WEN Hair Care product line
- That Guthy-Renker erased comments regarding hair loss, balding and other issues from the WEN Hair Care Facebook page.
When it comes to a legal claims about defective products, a key question becomes: Is the company liable? Did the company know there was a potential danger or hazard and not disclose it? According to
various media reports, the class-action lawsuits against WEN Hair Care and Guthy-Renker indicate that following thousands of complaints, the manufacturer indeed conducted safety tests – but didn’t disclose them – to the Food and Drug Administration or to the general public, either. Which brings up an extremely important point – one that lawyers who represent the interests of people harmed by defective products know all too well: That there is
very little government oversight of many products – from cosmetics to dietary supplements. In fact, the very topic of unregulated, potentially harmful products, recently prompted two United States senators to introduce legislation. The senators,
Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, and
Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, introduced what is being called the Personal Care Products Safety Act. If passed, the piece of legislation would require cosmetics manufacturers to:
- Disclose the ingredients composing their products
- Disclose reports of adverse side effects to the federal Food and Drug Administration
- Turn over any and all internal studies that show that their products may have a potential health risk
It would also give authority to the FDA to:
- Conduct recalls of products with dangerous side effects
- Require specific labeling of products
- Require appropriate warnings if the ingredients composing the product are not suitable for everyone
As for the WEN Hair Care lawsuit, a Pennsylvania television news station has reported that at least one woman from the Keystone State is among those who have said they
experienced adverse effects from the hair care line – and that she intends to file suit. The
team of attorneys at Pribanic & Pribanic have represented myriad clients over the years who have been harmed by a defective product – obtaining, in some cases, multi-million dollar verdicts. If you or someone you care about have been victimized by defective products, call
Pribanic & Pribanic toll-free today at (412) 672-5444 to set up a free consultation.