Weitz & Luxenberg attorney, EricaRae Garcia, served as a panelist on a Mass Torts Made Perfect Webinar on the Chemical Hair Relaxer Litigation. The event was held virtually.
Ms. Garcia is a key member of W&L’s Drug and Medical Device Litigation unit. Since her arrival, Ms. Garcia has been passionate about seeking justice for clients injured by the wrongful actions of companies due to the products they sell to consumers.
Hair Product Chemicals Cause Cancer
Ms. Garcia spoke along with several other panelists. They discussed recent studies linking exposure to certain chemicals in hair straightening products to increased risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. The webinar served as an information session to discuss how the hair products litigation is crucial to address these harms impacting women — specifically minority women.
During the session, Ms. Garcia discussed the various product ingredients and additives linked to causing these cancers among women. She also focused on discussing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) involvement in warning companies for failing to notify consumers about their use of these harmful ingredients.
Black and Latina Women at Greatest Risk
The hair straightening products litigation is especially important to Ms. Garcia. She is a Latina woman with an extensive family circle, whose members have previously used these dangerous hair products.
Latinas are one of the groups most likely to have used these products. This means they are also at greater risk of chemical exposure and the cancer it causes.
Black women are another group at higher risk, due to their use of hair straighteners and relaxer perm products. Both groups have a larger number of women who use these types of products at least four times each year, often for decades.
Explaining Risks of Hair Straightening Products
For the webinar on December 7, 2022, several panelists discussed the chemical hair straightening products litigation. The webinar addressed these topics:
- Who are the defendants in the hair straightening products litigation?
- Marketing efforts by the defendants.
- Science/studies discussing these products and their ingredients.
- Case criteria and injuries linked to use of these products.
- Current litigation status.
A Question & Answers session was also held during the webinar to clarify any issues or points of inquiry about the litigation.
Mass Torts Made Perfect provides litigation news and continuing legal education (CLE) conferences for professionals. It is a place for legal professionals to connect, network, and learn about new developing topics. Throughout the year, the organization hosts countless webinars and in-person conferences and seminars. The aim is to bring legal professionals together to share their expertise and keep one another up to date with current legal topics.
W&L Is Equipped to Fight for You
Over the last few decades, Weitz & Luxenberg has helped the overwhelming number of people across the country harmed by defective medical devices, drugs, and consumer products.
W&L’s attorneys strongly advocate for you, as we do for all our clients. We take every opportunity along the way to educate both the public and legal professionals to prevent harm from happening to others.
Our experienced attorneys present at numerous events annually, in an effort to inform and encourage others to hold companies responsible for their negligent actions. So far, W&L has been awarded billions of dollars on behalf of our clients.
