SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - Johanna Dominguez and Sharron Meijer filed a federal class action lawsuit on July 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Johnson & Johnson Consumer, claiming its sunscreen can cause cancer.
The suit alleges violations of California Business and Professional Code 17200 and 1750, violation of New York General Business Law 349 and 350 and unjust enrichment.
According to the complaint, Johnson & Johnson sells under the brand names “Aveeno” and “Neutrogena” sunscreen that contains dangerous and unacceptable levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen. Benzene is a simple hydrocarbon, C6H6, often found in crude oil and most easily identified by the smell associated with gasoline, the suit says.
It is used in industrial settings to make plastics, resins, synthetic fibers, and rubber lubricants, as well as dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides and has been proven to be harmful to consumers, the suit says. The presence of benzene renders the products as adulterated, misbranded, and unlawful for sale, the suit says.
Dominguez and Meijer seeks for the court to enjoin Johnson & Johnson from selling the products, compensatory, statutory and punitive damages, pre-judgement interest, restitution, attorney's fees and cost of suit. Dominguez and Meijer are represented by Kimberly Channick, Alex Walsh, Warren Postman and David B. Bryne III.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case number 3:21-cv-05419-JSC