SCRANTON – For reasons of alleged improper service and pleading of claims, L’Oréal and Garnier are seeking dismissal of a South Carolina woman’s lawsuit that claimed using its hair dye products caused her to suffer a chemical burn on the back of her head.
Elizabeth Knoell of Pinewood, S.C. initially filed suit in the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas on April 17 versus L’Oréal USA and Garnier of New York, N.Y., Salon Care Arcadia Beauty Labs, LLC of Reno, Nev. and ABC Corporation.
“On or about Nov. 27, 2019, plaintiff Knoell used previously-purchased Salon Care Professional Volume Creme, Salon Care Professional Quick White Powder Lightener and Gamier Licorice 10 Black hair color to dye her hair at home. After completing the process, she felt some burning on her scalp,” the suit says.
“The burning pain increased. Two days later she found a wound on the back of her head. As a result of the painful wound, plaintiff presented to Lehigh Valley Pocono’s emergency room, where she was diagnosed with a chemical burn.”
The suit adds that continued pain caused her to seek additional treatment a few days later at St. Luke’s emergency room, before returning to Lehigh Valley Pocono’s emergency room.
“Plaintiff’s family physician Dr. Spence referred her to dermatologist Dr. Westheim, who diagnosed her 2nd degree burn. As a result of the use of the afore stated products, Knoell has and will continue to have pain and discomfort of her head when performing the most basic tasks of everyday living, brushing her hair, washing her hair, styling her hair, and laying her head on a pillow, in addition to bald spots on her head, which she believes will be permanent,” the suit states.
L’Oréal USA, Inc. removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on May 18, and subsequently filed a motion to dismiss on May 24, on the grounds of improper service of process and failure to state claims upon which relief could be granted.
As to the first objection, court records showed that though the complaint was sent to the defendants on Feb. 7, 2022, a return receipt was never provided by the U.S. Post Office, and the plaintiff then waited 14 months to file her complaint.
“In federal courts, original process may be served under either the law of the state in which the district court sits or under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff instituted her claim in the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas. Therefore, she was required to effectuate service of process under the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure. Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 404 provides that ‘original process shall be served outside the Commonwealth within 90 days of the issuance of the writ or the filing of the complaint or the reissuance or the reinstatement thereof.’ In the comment to Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 405 (c) it states that ‘proof of service by mail under Rule 403 shall include a return receipt signed by the defendant….,” according to the dismissal motion.
“Here there was no return receipt card signed by L’Oréal or by Garnier, and therefore, the attempted service of the writ was not proper and not in compliance with Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 405. At no time between the time that the Writ of Summons was issued and it was determined that no return receipt card was received, was the Writ reinstated or reissued. At no time between February 2022 and April 2023, did plaintiff make any effort to re-attempt service on defendants L’Oréal or Garnier.”
Elsewhere, the named defendants countered that the plaintiff’s claims were not properly pled.
“Plaintiff has failed to specify the statutes allegedly violated by defendants, and defendants are unable to defend themselves against a claim of negligence per se if they are not apprised of the statute or statutes they are alleged to have violated. Additionally, plaintiff alleges in Count II of her complaint that the products (collectively) were defective due to the warnings and instructions. However, plaintiff did not cite to the warnings and instructions in the body of the complaint and did not attach copies of the allegedly defective warnings or instructions to her complaint,” the motion stated.
For counts of negligence per se, strict products liability and failure to warn, the plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, plus interest, costs and in excess of any amount requiring compulsory arbitration.
The plaintiff is represented by Robert J. Kidwell of Newman Williams, in Stroudsburg.
The L’Oréal USA and Garnier defendants are represented by Dana Valerie Szilier of Bennett Bricklin & Saltzburg, in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania case 3:23-cv-00815
Monroe County Court of Common Pleas case 6685-CV-2021
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com