Santa Clara, CA: Clorox is facing a consumer fraud class action over allegations its Green Works cleaning products are misrepresented as being environmentally safe and naturally formulated.
Filed by plaintiffs Adam Cooper and Ryan Matuszewski, the lawsuit states that Clorox deliberately misrepresents its Green Works brand products in an effort to capitalize on the increasing demand for environmentally safe household cleaning products.
The class action lawsuit lists numerous Green Works cleaning products, including all-purpose cleaner, cleaning wipes, glass cleaner, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, and other household cleaning products that include the “naturally derived” or “green” language on the label.
According to the lawsuit, Clorox had stated a percentage on Green Works product labeling indicating how much of the product was naturally derived. However, Clorox allegedly changed its labels by removing the percentage and instead indicating that the products are “naturally derived,” leading consumers to believe the products are 100 percent naturally derived.
The plaintiffs contend that Green Works products actually contain unnatural and harmful chemical ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate and methylisothiazolione, despite the “naturally derived” language on product labeling. “These chemicals can be dangerous to human health and to the environment,” the class action lawsuit asserts. Reportedly, these chemicals can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions and immune system toxicity.
“Reasonable consumers do not expect such ingredients to be in products labeled ‘natural,’ ‘naturally derived,’ or ‘green,’” the complaint states.
The plaintiffs seek to represent a proposed Class of consumers who purchased Clorox Green Works products labeled as “natural,” “naturally derived,” and/or “green” in the last four years. They also seek to certify subclasses of consumers who purchased the products in California and New York.
The plaintiffs are represented by Kim E. Richman and Jaime Mak of Richman Law Group.
The proposed class action lawsuit is Adam Cooper and Ryan Matuszewski v. The Clorox Company, Case No. 3:17-cv-04854-JCS, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
