The Old Spice Lawsuit Update
The Old Spice lawsuit is a lawsuit against defendant’s Old Spice detergent manufacturer, Phyllis OS. Phyllis OS has been accused of falsely advertising their detergent and causing consumers to unnecessarily use it. The suit also claims that the manufacturers violated consumer protection laws by failing to disclose harsh chemicals in their product. The original suit was filed by attorney Robert J. Spiro, who is representing the plaintiff’s child.
The court case is currently underway in U.S. District Court, in Philadelphia. The initial phase of the suit involves determining the scope of liability. Both sides have filed expert reports detailing their cases, as well as medical testimony from witnesses. The parties are expected to present more evidence at a later date. No settlement has been reached yet, and both sides expect a long-term trial. The Philadelphia Inquirer (UP) reported on the case, saying, “orneys for the plaintiff are urging the court not to allow the current lawsuit against Old Spice Drinks founder Carl Ferrer to go to trial, saying the company was liable even if it did not knowingly mislead consumers with its statements about the supposedly safe nature of its products.”
The Old Spice Drinks case is the latest in a string of lawsuits targeting similar companies. In January, another suit was filed against Mars Inc., alleging that the company used deception in promoting a face cream that contained menthol. Another case filed against a popular bath and body care product company involved an incident in which a female customer became violently ill after using the product. On the same day, another lawsuit was filed against Maytag dishwasher soap for allegedly misrepresentation of its sodium laureth sulfate content. The newest defendant in the Old Spice lawsuit is Unilever, which is responsible for both sodium laureth sulfate and borax. In response, Unilever said, “While we cannot comment on the specifics of this case, we categorically reject any suggestion or implication that Unilever products are unsafe.”
While the Old Spice lawsuit update suggests that the plaintiffs may be onto something, the company’s attorney seems to downplay the case’s importance. “The plaintiff’s complaint is simply a diversionary tactic designed to enable them to get more money from Unilever,” said an Unilever spokesperson in a statement. ” UL ratings were never intended to become a litigious issue in the first place.” In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has stated that the current definition of ‘sodium laureth sulfate’ is “not considered as a toxic substance.” Still, the FDA does not regulate cosmetics, so whether or not the agency will take the Unilever side of the story remains to be seen.
Regardless of who is to blame for the current lawsuit, the ultimate aim of the Old Spice lawsuit update is to put pressure on the Food and Drug Administration to exert more control over the industry. As the FDA continues to monitor manufacturers for possible safety concerns, the company may find itself increasingly squeezed between regulatory pressure and competing demands from the medical community and the general public. If the FDA does impose regulations on ingredients, it will likely have significant financial consequences for Unilever. In addition, the lawsuit may force the FDA to re-evaluate the cosmetics and dietary supplement industries, potentially creating another set of standards for those industries.
The recent lawsuit, though, doesn’t mean that the ingredients in Old Spice products are inherently dangerous. In fact, many of the ingredients in the product, such as potassium sorbate and calcium sulfate, have been used for years without negative effects. Whether or not the lawsuit has merit, one thing is clear: The ingredient list for any cosmetic product should be scrutinized before use. While the Old Spice lawsuit may have been the tipping point for some, it does not mean that other companies will be looking past the safety of their ingredients in order to make a profit. Instead of focusing on the lawsuit as a means of criticizing Unilever, it may be time to look at this case objectively and focus on the benefits of using a product that has been safely used for years.