Navan Ward’s Appointment Brings Leadership to Hair Relaxer Litigation

The Black community uses hair relaxers linked to uterine, endometriosis, and ovarian cancers more than any other race in the U.S. For instance, research shows uterine cancer death rates are highest among non-Hispanic Black women. This population is also more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive uterine cancer subtypes. So, makers of these products have further increased the danger for women who are already at a higher risk of uterine cancer and the other types of cancers.

This potentially deadly combination of factors is one reason our firm and others have filed hair relaxer lawsuits. Navan Ward, a member of our Hair Relaxer Litigation Team, was appointed by Judge Mary Rowland, the federal judge overseeing the national hair relaxer multidistrict litigation (MDL), to serve on the Plaintiff Executive Committee. Navan will lend his extensive leadership experience as he helps guide the litigation for the plaintiffs.

Navan practices in our Atlanta office and focuses on litigation involving medical devices and medicine. He has served on numerous leadership committees for similar mass litigation. Navan is also a leader outside the courtroom, serving as the Immediate Past President of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and a Founding Executive Committee Member of Shades of Mass, which helps increase the representation of lawyers of color in mass tort litigation leadership.

Our Hair Relaxer Clients

Plaintiffs allege the defendant companies knew their hair relaxers contained toxic chemicals that could cause cancer. Yet, for decades, they failed to warn women of these risks. Our Hair Relaxer Litigation Team continues investigating cases involving women who regularly used hair relaxers and developed uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometriosis after years of using hair relaxers.

Our clients include:

• A Georgia man whose wife died from uterine cancer linked to her prolonged use of hair relaxer products.
• A New Jersey woman whose longtime use of hair relaxer products led to her being diagnosed with uterine cancer and endometriosis.
• A Michigan woman whose extensive, longtime use of hair relaxer products has been linked to her diagnosis of uterine cancer and endometriosis.
• An Illinois woman whose regular and prolonged exposure to hair relaxer products has been linked to her uterine cancer diagnosis.
• A South Carolina woman whose uterine cancer and endometriosis diagnosis have been linked to her decades-long use of hair-relaxing products.

If you or someone you love developed any of these health conditions after using chemical hair straighteners or hair relaxers, we can help you seek justice. Contact our Hair Relaxer Litigation Team today for a complimentary, no-cost consultation.

About the Hair Relaxer Litigation

The lawsuits have been filed against companies making, selling and marketing hair relaxers, including L’Oréal, Softsheen-Carson, McBride Research Laboratories, Luster Products, Inc., Godrej Consumer Products, Strength of Nature, LLC, and Dabur USA.

The MDL, which combines numerous similar cases for litigation, has been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Lawsuits have also been filed in Georgia and Illinois state courts.