BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - The maker of Arm & Hammer-brand laundry detergent is facing a class action lawsuit that brings algebra to the courtroom.
Plaintiff Yuzi Hong and her lawyer Spencer Sheehan filed the lawsuit June 12 in New York federal court against Church & Dwight Co. The lawsuit centers on claims the 144.5 oz. bottle of detergent does "2X More Loads" compared to a 67.5 oz. bottle.
The larger bottle, at 1.35 oz. per load, is enough for 107, while the smaller bottle is enough for 50. But the word "more" is misleading consumers, Sheehan says, with a table
"The phrase 'two times more [than X]' means three multiplied by X, shown in the first row of the below table," the suit says.
"These formulas are confirmed by Merrill Perlman, a journalist who has studied the ways algebraic formulas are understood by the public. According to Perlman, if someone has $100, and it is 'doubled,' they will have $200.
"However, if a person has 'two times more' than the original $100, they will have their original $100 plus $200, for a total of $300.
"The product does not state it will provide enough detergent for 'twice' or 'double' the number of loads compared to the 67.5 oz. version, which would have been true."
The large bottle needs almost 60 more ounces of detergent to make "2X More Loads" true, Sheehan says.