A recent court filing reveals a harrowing tale of alleged negligence and misconduct by a prominent beauty product manufacturer. On December 30, 2024, Dorothy Ayers filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Strength of Nature, LLC, and Godrej SON Holdings, Inc., accusing them of causing severe health issues through their hair relaxer products.
Dorothy Ayers, a resident of Neptune, New Jersey, has brought this lawsuit as part of the broader litigation concerning hair relaxer marketing and product liability. The case is part of MDL No. 3060, which consolidates numerous similar claims. Ayers alleges that her use of hair relaxer products from 1968 to 2013 led to her diagnosis with uterine cancer in July 2016. She asserts that these products were defectively designed and lacked adequate warnings about potential health risks. In her complaint, Ayers adopts several causes of action from the Master Long Form Complaint associated with this multidistrict litigation. These include negligence, negligent misrepresentation, strict liability for design defects and failure to warn, breach of implied and express warranties under state law and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, violation of consumer protection laws, unjust enrichment, and punitive damages.
The plaintiff contends that Strength of Nature's African Pride Olive Miracle Deep Conditioning No-Lye Relaxer products were among those she used over the years. According to Ayers' allegations, these products contained harmful chemicals that contributed to her cancer diagnosis. She argues that the defendants knew or should have known about these risks but failed to adequately inform consumers or provide safer alternatives.
In addition to seeking compensatory damages for her injuries and suffering caused by what she describes as "gross negligence," Ayers is also pursuing punitive damages aimed at punishing the defendants for their alleged misconduct. Her legal team emphasizes that such damages are necessary to deter similar behavior in the future.
Representing Dorothy Ayers are attorneys M. Brandon Smith (Georgia Bar No. 141418), C. Andrew Childers (Georgia Bar No. 124398), and James E “Jed” Douglas (Georgia Bar No. 124908) from Childers, Schlueter & Smith LLC based in Atlanta, Georgia. The case is presided over by Honorable Mary M. Rowland under Case ID: 1:24-cv-13330.