Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Kimberly-Clark for Cottonelle Flushable Wipes Recall

On October 16, 2020, Stueve Siegel Hanson filed the nation’s first class action lawsuit against Kimberly-Clark Corp., the owner of popular toilet paper brand Cottonelle, relating to a recall involving a bacteria detected in Cottonelle’s Flushable Wipes products.

In October, Amazon, Costco and other retailers began warning customers who purchased certain Cottonelle Flushable Wipes that their products might contain a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as Pluralibacter gergoviae which was detected during product testing.

This strain of bacteria is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause serious infection in humans. Individuals who have a weakened immune system, suffer from pre-existing conditions, have been treated surgically, or belong to another sensitive group of persons are at particular risk of harm. Customers have complained of a range of injuries resulting from the wipes including rash, skin irritation, urinary tract infections, and skin infections.

The lawsuit alleges that despite having warnings its products were unsafe, Kimberly-Clark continued its mass, nationwide distribution of contaminated Cottonelle’s Flushable Wipes for seven months—all the while failing to detect the bacterial contamination, warn the public, or otherwise take steps to remediate the serious health risks posed to consumers.

The lawsuit seeks recovery for the personal and economic harms caused by the recall of millions of contaminated, dangerous, and now-worthless flushable wipes manufactured by Kimberly-Clark and sold throughout the United States.

If you purchased Cottonelle products that you believe were subject to this recall, please contact our legal team at 866-714-0876 or fill out the contact us form below: