Arm & Hammer Class Action Says Laundry Detergent is Underfilled

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The manufacturer of Arm & Hammer faces a class action lawsuit over claims that its liquid laundry detergent containers are 14 percent empty space.

Lead plaintiffs Vincent Riedel and Yang Shen say that Church & Dwight intentionally package Arm & Hammer laundry detergent in large, non-transparent plastic bottles to make it appear as if consumers are buying more than they actually do.

“There is no practical reason to package the Products in over-sized containers other than to mislead consumers as to the actual volume of the Products being purchased,” the class action lawsuit states.

As a result of Arm & Hammer’s alleged fraudulent business practices, customers pay a premium price for the laundry detergent compared to other products on the market, according to the plaintiffs.

Riedel says he bought 61 ounces of Arm & Hammer laundry detergent for $16 because he relied on the size of the packaging at the time of purchase. According to the plaintiff, there’s no way a reasonable consumer could know that the laundry container wasn’t filled to capacity.

The Arm & Hammer lawsuit claims that Riedel was misled by the oversized bottles and suffered monetary loss because of the deceptive, false, and misleading business practices of the defendant.

“Defendant has deceived Plaintiffs and other consumers nationwide by mischaracterizing the volume of the Products. Defendant has been unjustly enriched as a result of selling the Products in disproportionately large containers compared to the volume of the actual product contained therein,” the lawsuit claims.

The plaintiffs allege that the Arm & Hammer manufacturer violated several state laws in addition to federal claims of negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment.

“Defendant will be unjustly enriched if it is allowed to retain such funds, and each Class member is entitled to an amount equal to the amount they enriched Defendant and for which Defendant has been unjustly enriched,” the lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs allege that the Arm & Hammer manufacturer has earned millions due to its unfair and deceptive practices.

“The size of the bottles in comparison to the volume of detergent contained therein make it appear as if the consumer is buying more than what is actually being sold. By increasing the size of the Product packaging, Defendant maximized the shelf presence of its Products over competitor products,” the plaintiffs claim.

If the class action lawsuit is approved, Class Members will include all U.S. residents who bought Arm & Hammer liquid laundry detergent in 43 to 131 fluid ounce bottles. 

The plaintiffs are represented by C.K. Lee and Anne Seelig of the Lee Litigation Group, PLLC.

The Arm & Hammer Deceptive Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is Riedel, et al. v. Church & Dwight Co. Inc., Case No. 2:16-cv-02093, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.