By Top Class Actions  |  November 30, 2022

Category: Consumer News
Close up of Unilever signage against a blue sky.
(Photo Credit: OleksSH/Shutterstock)

The Laundress bacteria class action lawsuit overview: 

  • Who: Margaret Murphy filed a class action lawsuit against Unilever United States Inc. 
  • Why: Murphy claims Unilever deceptively marketed that its The Laundress brand luxury laundry detergent and fabric care products are non-toxic, despite them allegedly containing “deadly bacteria.” 
  • Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court. 

Unilever deceptively marketed that its The Laundress brand luxury laundry detergent and fabric care products are non-toxic, despite them containing “deadly bacteria,” a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Margaret Murphy claims The Laundress products are marketed by Unilever as “non-toxic and present better-for-you alternatives to other cleaners,” despite their alleged inclusion of “highly toxic, undisclosed ingredients.” 

Murphy argues The Laundress products’ contain undisclosed bacteria that have “fatal consequences” and that they are “unreasonably dangerous” when compared to what their utility is. 

The complaint comes after a safety notice was released by The Laundress earlier this month that advised consumers to stop using its products immediately, after it discovered that certain of its products may contain elevated levels of bacteria. 

The Laundress products contain bacterium Pseudomonas, says class action 

Murphy claims The Laundress products contain the bacterium Pseudomonas, which she argues has a mortality rate 39% and has been the cause of “multiple fatal outbreaks in infant wards” around the country. 

“With the sale of every Product, Defendant delivered a biological weapon into the home of every Class Member,” states the The Laundress class action. 

Murphy wants to represent a nationwide class, a multi-state consumer fraud class, and a California class of individuals who purchased a The Laundress product. 

Unilever is accused of unjust enrichment and breach of implied warranty, and of violating the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, various state consumer protection statutes, and California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act, among other things. 

Plaintiff is demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with an award of compensatory, punitive, and statutory damages for herself and all class members. 

A separate class action lawsuit was filed against Unilever earlier this month by a consumer arguing the company sold dry shampoo containing the cancer-causing chemical benzene under a number of different brand names. 

Have you purchased a The Laundress product? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiffs are represented by J. Ryan Gustafson of Good Gustafson Aumais LLP, Amir Shenaq of Shenaq PC, and Steffan T. Keeton of The Keeton Firm LLC. 

The The Laundress bacteria class action lawsuit is Murphy, et al. v. Unilever United States Inc., Case No. 1:22-cv-07468, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.


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52 thoughts onThe Laundress class action claims products contain dangerous bacteria

  1. Tanya Smith says:

    Please add me to the list.

  2. Naioka Rachelle Frazier says:

    Add me

  3. Melinda Kirby says:

    How do I join this class action?
    I am a cancer survivor who used this product for years while immune compromised and a lung condition.

  4. Corren smart says:

    Please add me to this lawsuit

  5. Lauren says:

    Please add

  6. Judy Eager says:

    I’ve been using their products for several years. Please add me to the class action lawsuit.

  7. Laura Holmes says:

    We are loyal customers who used these laundry detergents for years. All the detergents we used are affected products. My husband and I both have had reoccurring skin rashes starting in 2020. He is a physician himself and sought medical treatment more than once because his rash was worse than mine. I then used the same creams and ointments prescribed to him to treat my reoccurring rashes. We absolutely want to be added to this class action lawsuit.

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