Hair Relaxer Lawyer: What an Attorney Does for Your Claim

As of October 1, 2026: 12,381 actions pending in the MDL, 2 new Northern District of Illinois filings in the sample in the last 30 days. See the member-case ledger.

If you used chemical relaxers for years and were later diagnosed with uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer, a hair relaxer lawyer can tell you in one confidential conversation whether your history fits the cases consolidated in MDL 3060, what records will prove it, and what filing would involve. This page explains what a hair relaxer lawsuit attorney actually does, what it costs, how to choose one, and what happens after you call.

What does a hair relaxer lawyer do?

A hair relaxer lawyer brings a product-liability claim against the manufacturers of the relaxers you used — companies such as L’Oréal USA, SoftSheen-Carson, Strength of Nature and Revlon — not against the salon or the stylist. The filed cases allege that the products contained endocrine-disrupting chemicals and were sold without adequate warnings, and they rely on the 2022 NIH Sister Study and the research that followed; see what the studies found and the defendants and products. The work has four parts: establishing your use history (how often, for how long, which brands), confirming the diagnosis in the pathology record, matching both to the criteria the MDL court uses, and filing within your state’s deadline. Our do I qualify page walks through the questions a lawyer will ask.

Do you need a lawyer to join the hair relaxer lawsuit?

Yes. There is no class action to sign up for. Each woman’s case is an individual lawsuit, filed by an attorney and coordinated with thousands of others before Judge Mary M. Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois for pretrial work. Whether a case is accepted, how it is pleaded and which court it is filed in all depend on the individual filing. The steps are on how to join the hair relaxer lawsuit.

What a hair relaxer lawsuit attorney looks for

• Use history. The screening threshold used in the litigation is relaxer use at least four times a year for two years or more; childhood and salon use both count. Receipts are not expected.
• The diagnosis. Uterine (endometrial) or ovarian cancer confirmed by a pathology report is the trial track; see uterine cancer claims and ovarian cancer claims. Fibroid and endometriosis claims are outside the current trial track but have not been dismissed.
• Treatment. A hysterectomy or other surgery is a documented, serious event that matters to how a claim is evaluated; see hysterectomy after relaxer use.
• The clock. Your state’s statute of limitations, which generally runs from when you knew or should have known of the connection — for most women no earlier than October 2022. Our state pages cover the rules.

How to choose a hair relaxer lawyer

Ask three questions. Does the firm handle product-liability mass torts itself, or will it refer your case out? Will the firm tell you plainly if the facts do not fit — for example a diagnosis that is not on the trial track, or a use history below the threshold? And who will actually work the case and talk to you? A good hair relaxer lawsuit attorney also explains, before you sign anything, that the court’s general-causation ruling is still pending and that no settlement exists, rather than describing the litigation as a sure thing.

How much does a hair relaxer lawyer cost?

These cases are handled on contingency: there is no fee unless there is a recovery, and there is no charge for the case review or for gathering records. The percentage and the handling of case expenses are set out in writing before you sign, and you can ask for that document on the first call.

What happens after you contact a hair relaxer lawsuit attorney

1. A short screening call (about ten minutes): the brands you remember, roughly how often and for how long, your diagnosis and its date, your treatment, and your state.
2. Records. With your written authorization we request the pathology report and treatment records; you do not need them in hand to start.
3. Case evaluation. We match your facts to the MDL’s criteria and your state’s deadline and tell you where you stand — including when the answer is that the case does not fit.
4. Filing. If the case is accepted, a complaint is filed and transferred into MDL 3060, where it is coordinated with the other cases for pretrial proceedings.

What compensation can a hair relaxer lawyer pursue?

Damages are individual: the cost of cancer treatment and surgery, lost income, the physical and emotional toll of the diagnosis, and, where a woman has died, the losses to her family. There is no settlement program and no trial has been held, so any lawyer who quotes a figure before reviewing your records is guessing. Our settlement amounts and payout per person pages explain how values would be set.

Why women choose Marin & Murphy Law Firm as their hair relaxer lawyer

The firm handles pharmaceutical and consumer-product mass torts and publishes the record it works from — the docket-sourced litigation update, the research ledger and the defendant and product list — maintained by the same team that reviews cases, and tells women plainly when a case is weak. Marin & Murphy Law Firm is licensed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and South Carolina and works with lawyers licensed across the country.

If you are calling for someone else

A daughter, spouse or caregiver can start the process, and a woman who has died may have a claim that a family member can bring; the review is free either way. See researching a claim for your mother.

Frequently Asked Questions