Cases will be selected from over 6,500 eligible claims, with first hair relaxer lawsuit not likely to go to trial until at least mid-2027, at the earliest.
Plaintiffs' plans call for a group of 16 hair relaxer cancer cases to be prepared for trial by the end of September 2025, while defendants' proposal would not lead to trial-ready cases until the start of 2026.
Court has given the parties until January 3 to submit their competing plans for hair relaxer lawsuit bellwether trial protocols.
Manufacturers failed to turn over complete lists of hair relaxer brand names, when they were sold, and what toxic ingredients each contained, plaintiffs say.
Lawyers are meeting today with the U.S. District Judge presiding over the litigation, to provide an update on the status of hair relaxer lawsuits being pursued throughout the country.
Lawyers will report on the status of hair relaxer lawsuits involving uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and other injuries, as the Court prepares claims for trial.
As growing number of hair relaxer lawsuits continue to be filed, the Court has directed lawyers to complete all general written discovery by February 2025, and oral discovery by September 2025.
While plaintiffs push to move forward with a bellwether process, manufacturers indicate it is still too early to select hair relaxer cancer lawsuits for early test trials.
Court rejected a motion to dismiss the hair relaxer class action lawsuits, which seek economic damages and medical monitoring for consumers exposed to cancer-causing chemicals in several widely used products.
State court trials are likely to begin well before the first federal hair relaxer lawsuits go before a jury involving allegations that products caused women to develop uterine cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer and other injuries.
