WASHINGTON—DiCello Levitt’s Co-Chair, Mass Tort division and Managing Partner, Birmingham Office Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmermann applauds the United States Food and Drug Administration’s plans to propose a rule to ban hair-straightening products containing a highly toxic mix of cancer-causing chemicals.
The FDA’s rulemaking process will unfold against the backdrop of Fu’s representation—as Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel—in In re Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, And Products Liability Litigation, where she is prosecuting the claims of tens of thousands of primarily Black and Latina women, who contracted uterine, ovarian, and endometrial cancer as a result of using hair relaxer products. The first case filed by Fu and DiCello Levitt was commenced in October 2022 after the National Cancer Institute published a study by the National Institute of Health that found women who used chemical hair straightening products four or more times per year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as those who didn’t use these hair relaxer products. Fu is joined as Co-Lead Counsel by Ben Crump of the Ben Crump Law Firm, Fidelma Fitzpatrick of Motley Rice LLC, and Michael A. London of Douglas & London PC.
“A ban on problematic chemicals in hair straightening products is more than overdue. Our attorneys have documented thousands of heartbreaking cases of women contracting ovarian or uterine cancer, underdoing round after round of chemotherapy or radiation treatments with many being forced to have hysterectomies. While the lives of these women will never be the same, a stringent FDA rule will not only prevent women from future harm, but also underscores the importance of our fight on behalf of our clients,” Fu said.
“What’s particularly significant about the FDA’s proposed rulemaking is how it confirms what we allege in our litigation and how it casts an even brighter light on what we allege these defendants have known for years: that these companies’ products kill Black and Brown women and that these companies, by putting profits over ethics, have put tens of thousands of women’s lives at risk. We look forward to continuing prosecuting our claims in court and obtaining justice for these women so grievously injured by these companies’ poisonous products. These women matter,” Fu added.
Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmermann is available for comment.
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