Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuit

February 8, 2023 | Attorney, Matthew Dolman

Motions is one of the most popular brands of hair relaxers on the market to help women straighten their curly hair. However, the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in Motions hair relaxers that help consumers get their hair in the shape they want are also carcinogenic, meaning they can cause significant harm to women if exposed to them. Hair relaxers can burn the scalp, allowing these toxic chemicals to seep into the body through scalp absorption and cause hormone-sensitive health issues like uterine cancer, uterine fibroids, and ovarian cancer.

Many women have filed hair relaxer lawsuits to hold manufacturers like Strength of Nature, LLC, the manufacturer of Motions hair relaxers, accountable for their negligence. These manufacturers failed to warn consumers of the health risks associated with their products and can be held liable in product liability lawsuits. 

A product liability lawyer can help you file a Motions hair relaxer lawsuit, assess your current and future damages, collect evidence to prove the at-fault party’s liability, and keep you up-to-date on any hair relaxer lawsuit consolidation. 

One of the hair relaxer brands mentioned in the ongoing hair relaxer lawsuit is Motions, a famous brand manufactured and sold by Strength of Nature, LLC. This brand of hair relaxer is popular among hair stylists, so women are likely to see it used in hair salons for hair-relaxing treatments. Motions is sold in major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Walgreens. The marketing for Motions hair relaxer products focuses on black women, promising to provide them with smooth, silky hair after using the product. 

Some of the Motions hair relaxer products on the market include:

  • Motions Classic Mild Formula Hair Relaxer
  • Motions Professional, Smooth & Straighten
  • Motions Classic Lye Relaxer Formula
  • Motions Smooth & Straighten Hair Relaxer

Strength of Nature is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Godrej Group, an Indian-based international conglomerate corporation. They own and operate businesses in many sectors, including real estate, appliances, and consumer products. Strength of Nature also sells and manufactures the Just For Me brand of child hair relaxers. 

Recently, women have filed lawsuits alleging negligence from hair relaxer manufacturers due to an October 2022 National Institute of Health (NIH) study. An NIH subsidiary conducted the Sister Study, which sought to find a connection between hair product use and medical conditions in women ages 35-74. Each year over eleven years, women involved in the Sister Study would answer a questionnaire to establish which hair products they used and what medical conditions they dealt with. The researchers at NIH used the data of 33,497 women involved in the Sister Study and found a connection between hair relaxer use and uterine cancer.

The NIH study discovered that women who use chemical hair relaxers, such as Motions brand hair relaxers, at least four times a year increase their uterine cancer risk by more than double. There were 378 cases of uterine cancer reported by women whose data was assessed by NIH researchers.

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Motions Hair Relaxers

The reason for the increased cancer risk among hair relaxers users is the toxic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) contained in hair relaxers. These chemicals are necessary to break down the hair’s protein structure, but prolonged exposure to these toxic chemicals can cause cancer. 

EDCs interfere with the body’s hormone balance by blocking hormone functionality and altering the body’s sensitivity to hormones. This can cause hormone-sensitive health issues that can cause significant health complications. Some of the EDCs in Motions hair relaxers that can cause hormone-sensitive health issues include formaldehyde, parabens, phthalates, bisphenol A, and various metals.

Uterine Cancer Caused by Motions Hair Relaxers

As mentioned above, the consistent use of hair relaxers can cause uterine cancer, a hormone-sensitive cancer caused by cell mutation in the uterus. Uterine cancer can happen in two places: the uterus' muscle wall (myometrium) or the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium). Uterine cancer that affects the muscle wall is uterine sarcoma, whereas uterine cancer that affects the inner lining is called endometrial cancer.

Some symptoms associated with uterine cancer include abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic and abdominal pain, and thin white or clear vaginal discharge. Depending on the severity of a woman’s uterine cancer, they may require a hysterectomy. This surgical procedure removes part or all of the uterus, which can lead to acquired absolute factor infertility.

Motions Hair Relaxer Use Can Cause Uterine Fibroids

The consistent use of hair relaxers like Motions can cause other health issues, including uterine fibroids. These are muscular tumors that can grow in the uterus. Despite not being cancerous, they can cause significant pain, as they can grow eight inches in width. Some of the symptoms of uterine fibroids include heavy bleeding, constipation, lower back pain, and bloating. 

The connection between uterine fibroids and hair relaxers comes from a 2012 American Journal of Epidemiology study that found EDC exposure can cause uterine fibroids. In most cases, women who suffer from uterine fibroids must get a hysterectomy to remove them before they grow too big.

Ovarian Cancer Caused by Motions Hair Relaxers

Another hormone-sensitive cancer caused by consistent hair relaxer use is ovarian cancer, which occurs when the cells in one or both ovaries mutate. The ovaries are vital for reproductive functioning, as they store and create eggs. Unlike other forms of cancer, ovarian cancer does not have obvious symptoms that can indicate a woman has it. This can make it difficult to diagnose, meaning it can grow worse with a woman knowing it. Once ovarian cancer becomes severe, the only treatment option is to get surgery to remove the cancerous ovary or ovaries.

Black Women Have an Increased Uterine Cancer Risk

Black women are at an increased risk of suffering uterine cancer from hair relaxers because they use hair relaxers more often than women of other races. The researchers of the NIH study found that 60% of the women who reported using hair relaxers were black despite making up less than 10% of the women involved in the study. 

Part of the reason for black women's increased usage of hair relaxers is to adhere to eurocentric beauty standards that call for straight hair. Hair relaxer sellers and manufacturers know that black women use hair relaxers more often than women of other racial groups. Therefore, the marketing push behind these products focuses on black women.

Strength of Nature, LLC Failed to Mention the Cancer Rsik Associated With Motions Hair Relaxers

Strength of Nature, LLC and Godrej Group can be held liable for damages caused by their Motions line of hair relaxer products for failing to warn consumers of the cancer risk associated with their products. Failing to warn of the carcinogenic effect of the toxic EDCs in Motions hair relaxers qualifies as a breach of duty of care, meaning they did not do everything in their power to keep consumers safe.

Consumers did not know that the EDCs in Motions hair relaxers could cause cancer, meaning they used dangerous products without realizing they contained carcinogens. Therefore, Strength of Nature, LLC and Godrej Group can be named as hair relaxer lawsuit defendants.

Filing a Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuit

Women who suffer damages because of consistent use of Motions hair relaxers can file hair relaxer lawsuits to hold Strength of Nature, LLC and Godrej Group accountable for their negligence. Hair relaxer lawsuits fall under product liability, as hair relaxer manufacturers failed to warn consumers of the cancer risk associated with their products. 

There have been recent attempts to consolidate hair relaxers lawsuits into a multi-district litigation, which would allow all lawsuits to be seen in front of one judge. This consolidation would benefit hair relaxer plaintiffs by promoting consistent discovery, increasing the chances of a global settlement, and allowing them to pool their resources while still recovering compensation for each plaintiff’s specific damages. On January 26th, the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation (JPML) heard oral arguments regarding consolidation. They will decide in the coming weeks whether all hair relaxer lawsuits should consolidate. 

What Damages Can You Pursue in a Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?

Women who suffer hormone-sensitive health issues from using Motions hair relaxers can file a hair relaxer lawsuit to pursue compensation for damages. They can suffer economically, as they may not be able to work while recovering from the health issue and will likely have expensive medical bills. A hormone-sensitive health issue can also cause psychological damage, as women may feel depressed or anxious over their health, the effects the health condition causes, and how their life has changed. A product liability attorney can help you pursue compensation for the full cost of your current and future hair relaxer damages.

The following are some of the hair relaxer damages caused by Motions hair relaxer products:

How Can Dolman Law Group Help With Your Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?

The award-winning trial product liability attorneys at The Russo Firm can help with the process of your hair relaxer lawsuit. We understand the amount o pressure put on a product liability victim when trying to recover compensation from a powerful, large product manufacturer. Our product liability lawyers have a track record of success helping victims through the process by providing personalized legal counsel catered to the specifics of our clients’ cases.

The status of the hair relaxer MDL can further complicate your case. Our product liability lawyers are willing and able to help you whether the lawsuits consolidate or not. If they do, our product liability lawyers can represent your interests to ensure you recover fair compensation. If the hair relaxer lawsuits do not consolidate, they can help you pursue compensation for hair relaxer damages by contacting expert witnesses, collecting evidence to prove your case, and representing you in court.

Contact Dolman Law Group for Help With Your Motions Hair Relaxer Lawsuit

Dolman Law Group is a personal injury law firm that can help victims of hormone-sensitive health issues caused by hair relaxer use. Our product liability lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience holding negligent product manufacturers accountable and can do the same if you received damages from using Motions hair relaxers. Hair relaxer lawsuits seek to hold manufacturers like L’Oreal, Strength of Nature, and Namaste Laboratories accountable for failing to warn consumers about the cancer risk associated with their products. 

Our experienced product liability lawyers can help with your Motions hair relaxer lawsuit by explaining your rights for pursuing compensation, assessing the true cost of your damages, and collecting evidence to prove the at-fault party’s liability. Contact Dolman Law Group today for a free consultation to learn about hair relaxer litigation, what a hair relaxer MDL would mean for your case, and how our product liability lawyers can help with your Motions hair relaxer lawsuit.

 

Matthew Dolman

Personal Injury Lawyer

This article was written and reviewed by Matthew Dolman. Matt has been a practicing civil trial, personal injury, products liability, and mass tort lawyer since 2004. He has successfully fought for more than 11,000 injured clients and acted as lead counsel in more than 1,000 lawsuits. Always on the cutting edge of personal injury law, Matt is actively engaged in complex legal matters, including Suboxone, AFFF, and Ozempic lawsuits.  Matt is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for resolving individual cases in excess of $1 million and $2 million, respectively. He has also been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite on multiple occasions. Further, Matt has been quoted in the media numerous times and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal issues and topics.

Learn More