Woman claims L'Oréal chemical relaxers caused uterine cancer: lawsuit

CHICAGO - High-profile civil rights attorney Ben Crump has filed a lawsuit against the hair care product company L'Oréal.

Crump said his client contracted uterine cancer after using their products.

Jenny Mitchell is the first woman to come forward claiming her cancer was caused by the use of L'Oréal hair straightening or relaxing products.

Last week, a National Institutes of Health study was released, and it showed a significant link between those products and the development of cancer — particularly in Black women.

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Mitchell detailed the very real consequences of her uterine cancer diagnosis as she was seeking fertility services.

"I'm 32 years old now, and I'm still feeling that void of not being able to bear my own child," said Mitchell. "I am the first voice of many voices to come that will stand up to these companies."

At 28, Mitchell was forced to have a full hysterectomy. She said she had been using chemical relaxers since third grade.

"September 2018 – that's when I had a full and total hysterectomy and at that time, at the age of 28, my dreams of becoming a mother were gone," Mitchell said.

Mitchell and her attorney hope to educate young Black girls about the dangers of these products.

"At the end of the day, what we're hoping to do is use this platform not just for this litigation, but more importantly if you're out there and have little Black girls, stop today using these chemical relaxers," Crump said.