Where the case stands now
Hair relaxer lawsuits claim that chemical hair straighteners caused cancer. Firms that take these cases advertise claims for uterine, ovarian and endometrial cancer.
The federal cases sit in one MDL: In re Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL 3060. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) created it in February 2023. Judge Mary M. Rowland presides in the Northern District of Illinois, in Chicago.
As of October 2026, the case is in pretrial work. There is no settlement. The next big step is the court’s ruling on the science.
How many cases are pending
The JPML reported 12,381 pending cases as of Oct. 1, 2026. A total of 16,828 cases have been part of the MDL over time.
| Date |
Pending cases |
| July 1, 2026 |
11,877 |
| Oct. 1, 2026 |
12,381 |
That is an increase of 504 cases in three months. MDL 3060 is now the fourth-largest pending MDL in the country.
Who is being sued
Defendants named in the MDL include these companies, according to a third-party docket tracker:
- L’Oréal USA and SoftSheen-Carson
- Revlon
- Strength of Nature
- Dabur and Namaste Labs
- PDC Brands
- Avlon Industries
Lieff Cabraser, a plaintiffs’ firm, reports filing suits against House of Cheatham as well.
The court also has a group of “Second Wave” defendants. Their cases had been on hold. On July 24, 2026, the court lifted that stay. “It is time to litigate,” the court wrote, according to the docket tracker. Beasley Allen reports that general discovery for the Second Wave defendants runs through July 15, 2027.
The science ruling and the trial schedule
Before any trial, the judge must decide whether the plaintiffs’ scientific evidence on general causation can reach a jury. General causation asks whether hair relaxers can cause these cancers at all. Lawyers call this a Daubert or Rule 702 ruling.
The defendants’ motion on that question was fully briefed in June 2026. It was still waiting for a ruling as of Sept. 30, 2026, according to a third-party docket tracker.
The trial schedule below also comes from that tracker. Confirm each date on the court docket.
| Date |
Step |
| Sept. 24, 2026 |
Order set the first bellwether trial date |
| Oct. 21, 2026 |
Joint proposal due to cut the bellwether pool from 10 cases to 5 |
| Jan. 11, 2027 |
Summary judgment and case-specific Rule 702 motions due for the 5 cases |
| 2027 |
Monthly status conferences |
| Sept. 7, 2027 |
First federal bellwether trial |
A bellwether is an early trial picked to show how juries react. Its result often shapes settlement talks. It does not decide other people’s cases.
Arizona’s lawsuit against L’Oréal
In September 2026, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes sued L’Oréal in Maricopa County. The suit claims L’Oréal hid cancer risks from hair relaxers. No other state had filed a suit like it. L’Oréal rejects the claims as lacking legal or scientific merit.
This is a state enforcement case. It is separate from the personal injury cases in the MDL.
In October 2026, Reuters, citing the Wall Street Journal, reported that L’Oréal hired restructuring advisers. The review concerns U.S. chemical-related tort liabilities, mainly talc. The report noted the thousands of pending hair relaxer suits but did not say the move targets them.
Plaintiffs’ leadership team
Judge Rowland appointed plaintiffs’ leadership in March 2023. The co-lead counsel are:
| Lawyer |
Firm |
| Ben Crump |
Ben Crump Law |
| Fidelma Fitzpatrick |
Motley Rice |
| Michael London |
Douglas & London |
| Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmermann |
DiCello Levitt |
Edward Wallace of Wallace Miller is liaison counsel. Lawyers from Beasley Allen, Lieff Cabraser, Johnson // Becker and Morgan & Morgan sit on the executive committee. Weitz & Luxenberg has a seat on the steering committee.
You do not need to hire a leadership firm to join the MDL. Leadership lawyers run the shared work for all plaintiffs.
Your next steps
If you used chemical hair relaxers and were diagnosed with uterine, ovarian or endometrial cancer, gather these records:
- The products and brands you used, and for how many years
- Where you bought them or had them applied
- Your diagnosis date and treatment records
Ask a lawyer how long your state gives you to file. Each state sets its own limit. In New York, for example, the three-year clock for injuries from exposure to a substance runs from when the injury was discovered or should have been. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
See how this case compares with the others we track in the October 2026 overview. For another cancer lawsuit with a pending settlement, see the Roundup lawsuit update.