Happi Staff03.22.20
Social distancing can't stop a good old-fashioned money grap. Gojo Industries, the maker of Purell hand sanitizer, is facing two class-action lawsuits accusing it of "misleading claims" that it can prevent "99.9 percent of illness-causing germs."
The most recent lawsuit, filed by four people March 13 in federal court for the Northeastern District of Ohio, comes as retailers scramble to keep hand sanitizer in stock amid a coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 300,000 people around the world and forced millions of Americans to stay at home indefinitely.
Purell's label states the product can kill "99.9 percent of illness-causing germs." The suit claims that it's misleading because it implies "sound scientific support when none exists."
"These claims lack a scientific basis, rendering the affirmative misrepresentations misleading," the lawsuit says.
A separate class-action lawsuit was filed last month in the same federal court by different plaintiffs. That suit states that the manufacturer "has broken the public's trust" by repeatedly marketing unsubstantiated claims.
"We are aware of the lawsuits filed by individual consumers against Gojo," said Carey Jaros, president and CEO, Gojo. "We believe these lawsuits are without merit and will not distract Gojo from our purpose of saving lives and making life better through well-being solutions. We will vigorously defend Gojo and continue to work tirelessly to promote our company’s purpose. We stand 100% behind our products. Because of the pending legal action, we cannot comment further at this time."
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to the maker of Purell warning Gojo against making unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness of its products. The FDA cited several advertising campaigns suggesting that Purell could prevent the flu, ebola, norovirus and other potentially deadly diseases.
The most recent lawsuit, filed by four people March 13 in federal court for the Northeastern District of Ohio, comes as retailers scramble to keep hand sanitizer in stock amid a coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 300,000 people around the world and forced millions of Americans to stay at home indefinitely.
Purell's label states the product can kill "99.9 percent of illness-causing germs." The suit claims that it's misleading because it implies "sound scientific support when none exists."
"These claims lack a scientific basis, rendering the affirmative misrepresentations misleading," the lawsuit says.
A separate class-action lawsuit was filed last month in the same federal court by different plaintiffs. That suit states that the manufacturer "has broken the public's trust" by repeatedly marketing unsubstantiated claims.
"We are aware of the lawsuits filed by individual consumers against Gojo," said Carey Jaros, president and CEO, Gojo. "We believe these lawsuits are without merit and will not distract Gojo from our purpose of saving lives and making life better through well-being solutions. We will vigorously defend Gojo and continue to work tirelessly to promote our company’s purpose. We stand 100% behind our products. Because of the pending legal action, we cannot comment further at this time."
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to the maker of Purell warning Gojo against making unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness of its products. The FDA cited several advertising campaigns suggesting that Purell could prevent the flu, ebola, norovirus and other potentially deadly diseases.