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Laundress death lawsuit overview:
- Who: Ashley Sites and Gabriel Yibale filed a lawsuit against Unilever United States Inc.
- Why: Sites and Yibale claim Unilever sold The Laundress products contaminated with bacteria that caused the death of their immunocompromised five-year-old daughter.
- Where: The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County, Law Division.
Unilever United States manufactured and sold The Laundress laundry and home cleaning products that were contaminated with bacteria and caused the death of a five-year-old girl, a new lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs Ashley Sites and Gabriel Yibale claim their daughter, Elliana, died after she developed bacterial infections of Pseudomonas and Klebsiella aerogenes that they say was caused by The Laundress products.
Sites and Yibale argue they had used The Laundress products to clean the surfaces of medical equipment used by Elliana as a result of her being born with congenital microcephaly and autoimmune disorders, among other things.
“Due to Elliana’s compromised immune system and medical conditions, Plaintiffs meticulously researched brands and ingredient labels to ensure that she was protected from harmful germs, chemicals, and toxins,” the Laundress lawsuit states.
Sites and Yibale claim this research led them to purchase The Laundress products, which they argue were marketed by Unilever as “a highly effective, non-toxic line of fabric care and home cleaning products.”
Despite this, Unilever would initiate a recall for around eight million of its The Laundress products in December over concerns they were contaminated with bacteria including Klebsiella aerogenes and multiple different species of Pseudomonas, according to the Laundress lawsuit.
Parents of deceased girl had purchased recalled The Laundress products, says suit
Sites and Yibale argue The Laundress products they purchased matched the recalled lot codes, and that Unilever had failed to directly notify its customers about the recall after posting a safety notice on its website, despite allegedly having their contact information.
“Defendant Unilever knew or should have known that by distributing its toxic products to consumers caring for immunocompromised individuals, such as Plaintiffs, fatal consequences would result which occurred in this case,” the Laundress lawsuit states.
Sites and Yibale claim Unilever is guilty of negligence, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, consumer fraud, and breach of express and implied warranty, among other things.
Plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and requesting compensation for past and future mental anguish and pain and suffering, medical expenses, and loss of earning capacity, along with an award of punitive damages.
A separate lawsuit was filed against Airbnb earlier this month by the parents of a 19-month-old girl who died after allegedly coming into contact with fentanyl at a rental property advertised by the company.
Were you impacted by The Laundress recall? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by David Cedar and Gerald Williams of Williams Cedar LLC.
The Laundress death lawsuit is Sites, et al. v. Unilever United States Inc., et al., Case No. BERL001599-23, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County, Law Division.
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