Conair Will Pay $5.4M to Settle Hair Dryer Class Action Lawsuit

The parties in a class action lawsuit alleging defects in Conair hair dryers causes them to catch fire, proposed a $5.4 million settlement deal.

Plaintiff Cynthia L. Czuhaj claimed in her class action lawsuit that flames spewed from the handle of her Conair hair dryer during use. Additionally, after she dropped it, the hair dryer allegedly caused her carpet to catch fire, leaving permanent burn marks.

According to the settlement proposal, those who purchased hair dryers made by Neumax Industrial will be entitled to an exchange. Additionally, those who purchased hair dryers made by Sun Luen Electrical Co. or Silver Plan Industrial Ltd. will receive $5 cash.

“While Plaintiffs believe in the merits of their case, they recognize the inherent risks and uncertainty of litigation, including that the Class could recover nothing, and understand the benefit of making a significant Settlement available to the class now,” noted the settlement proposal.

Under the terms of the settlement, two certified subclasses of consumers in New York and California will be entitled to the settlement if they submit a qualifying claim.

All told, Conair will pay between $4.58 and $5.37 million in claims. Additionally, Conair will pay $1.2 million in attorneys’ fees to settle the class action.

Class Members include those who purchased a Conair-model 259 or 279 Infiniti Pro hair dryer made by Sun Luen, Silver Plan or Neumax in New York between Aug. 15, 2010, and the present, as well as California purchasers who bought the same types of hair dryers dating back to Aug. 15, 2009.

According to settlement documents, roughly 551,000 purchasers of Neumax-made dryers and a little more than 2 million buyers of Sun Luen and Silver Plan dryers qualify for the proposed settlement.

Additionally, the settlement administrator will set-up and maintain a settlement website available at www.ConairClassAction.com.

According to the class action lawsuit, there are several types of defects in the Conair hair dryers. Initially, a plaintiff claimed that her Sun Luen dryer sold through Conair set fire to her carpet. Another plaintiff in New York alleged that her Neumax hair dryer, also sold through Conair, had a heater coil that ejected and lodged in her scalp.

The class actions were consolidated and a nationwide Class was initially certified by U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez.

Top Class Actions will post updates to this class action settlement as they become available. For the latest updates, keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter. You can also receive notifications when this article is updated by using your free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.

The plaintiffs are represented by Katherine J. Odenbreit of Odenbreit Law APC, Isam C. Khoury, Timothy D. Cohelan, Michael D. Singer and Jeff Geraci of Cohelan Khoury & Singer, and Brian D. Chase and Jerusalem F. Beligan of Bisnar Chase LLP.

The Conair Defective Hair Dryer Class Action Lawsuit is Czuhaj v. Conair Corporation, et al., Case No. 3:13-cv-01901, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

UPDATE: The Conair Infiniti Pro Hair Dry Class Action Settlement is now open! Click here to file a claim.