CHICAGO, Feb. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dahl Administration, LLC announces that a settlement has been reached in three class action lawsuits against Unilever United States, Inc. and Conopco, Inc. (together, "Unilever") and Les Emballages Knowlton, Inc. (collectively, "Defendants").The lawsuits allege that Defendants designed, manufactured and sold the Suave® Professionals Keratin Infusion 30-Day Smoothing Kit ("Smoothing Kit"), that the Smoothing Kit caused some consumers who used it to suffer injuries to their hair and/or scalp, and that Unilever misled consumers into purchasing and using the Smoothing Kit by making false and misleading statements about the safety of the Smoothing Kit and failing to disclose its risks. Defendants deny that they did anything wrong. To avoid the cost of a trial, and potential risks for both sides, the Parties have reached a class action settlement, which was preliminarily approved by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on February 12, 2014.
Under the terms of the settlement, you may be entitled to compensation if you purchased or used the Smoothing Kit in the United States before February 17, 2014. Excluded from the Class are persons who purchased for resale and not for personal or household use; persons who signed a release of any Defendant in exchange for consideration; officers, directors or employees of any Defendant or any entity in which a Defendant has a controlling interest (or their immediate family); any legal counsel or employee of legal counsel for any Defendant; and the presiding judges and their immediate families. Also excluded are those persons who timely and validly request exclusion from the Settlement Class.
What Does the Settlement Provide?
Unilever has agreed to create two funds: a "Reimbursement Fund" of $250,000, to reimburse consumers for their purchase of the Smoothing Kit, and an "Injury Fund" of $10,000,000, to compensate consumers for bodily injuries and for emotional distress that accompanied such bodily injuries. Class Members may be eligible to receive a payment from one or both funds.
Any Class Member who purchased the Smoothing Kit may submit a claim against the Reimbursement Fund for a one-time payment of up to $10. Any Class Member who suffered certain kinds of bodily injury to his or her hair or scalp as a result of using the Smoothing Kit may submit a claim against the Injury Fund in one of three ways. Under "Option A," Class Members who incurred expenses to redress their Covered Injuries but who do not have receipts may make a claim for reimbursement of up to $40. Under "Option B," Class Members who incurred expenses to redress their Covered Injuries for which they have receipts may make a claim reimbursement of their documented expenses up to $800. Under "Option C," Class Members who have suffered significant Covered Injuries may make a claim to recover damages for those injuries of up to $25,000, and may also seek reimbursement of certain expenses.
If the claims made against either Fund collectively exceed the total amount of that Fund, the payments made from that Fund to each Class Member who submitted a valid claim will be distributed pro rata, under a formula to be approved by the Court.
How Do You Submit A Claim?
To qualify for payment, you must complete and submit the appropriate Claim Form, signed by you under penalty of perjury, along with certain supporting documents by September 25, 2014. Online Claim Forms and instructions for submitting claims online are available at www.Suave30DaySmoothingKitLawsuit.com.Claim Forms and instructions for completing them can also be obtained by calling 1-888-848-9961.Completed Claim Forms and supporting materials should be emailed to mail@Suave30DaySmoothingKitLawsuit.com or mailed to Smoothing Kit Class Administrator, c/o Dahl Administration, P.O. Box 3614, Minneapolis, MN 55403-0614.
What Are Your Other Options?
If you don't want to be legally bound by the settlement, you must exclude yourself by May 28, 2014. The detailed notice available at www.Suave30DaySmoothingKitLawsuit.com or by calling 1-888-848-9961 explains how to exclude yourself from the settlement. If you properly exclude yourself, you will not get any settlement payment and you cannot object to the settlement. You also will not be bound by the settlement and may be able to sue Defendants on your own in the future.
If you're a Class Member, you can object to any part of the settlement you don't like and the court will consider your views. Your objection must be timely, in writing, and contain certain specific information as described at www.Suave30DaySmoothingKitLawsuit.com or available by calling 1-888-848-9961.
The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing at 1:30 P.M on July 9, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. At this hearing the Court will consider whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate and whether to approve Class Representatives' incentive awards and attorneys' fees and expenses to be paid by Unilever. You may attend the hearing, and you may hire your own lawyer, but you are not required to do either. The Court will consider timely written objections and will listen to objectors who request to speak at the hearing. After the hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the settlement.
What To Do If You Have Questions
This information is just a summary. Detailed notice, as well as the Settlement Agreement and other documents filed in this lawsuit, can be found online at www.Suave30DaySmoothingKitLawsuit.com. For more information, you may call or write to the Smoothing Kit Class Administrator at 1-888-848-9961 or P.O. Box 3614, Minneapolis, MN 55403-0614 or mail@Suave30DaySmoothingKitLawsuit.com.
CONTACT: Jeffrey Dahl, (952) 562-3600, jdahl@dahladministration.com
SOURCE Dahl Administration, LLC
