Flushable Wipes Settlement Reached: What Cottonelle, Scott, Huggies, Poise and Kotex Buyers Need to Know [UPDATE]
by Erin Shaak
Last Updated on April 3, 2024
June 15, 2023 – Judge Grants Final Approval to Flushable Wipes Settlement
A federal judge has granted final approval to the $20 million settlement detailed on this page.
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The deal covers millions of consumers in the United States who bought Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s flushable wipes under the Cottonelle, Scott, Huggies Pull-Ups, Poise or Kotex brands at any time between February 21, 2008 and May 19, 2022.
In a 30-page final approval order signed on June 12, 2023, U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen overruled an objection from a class member who argued that the settlement allocates too much money to class counsel relative to what consumers actually recovered, and that attorneys’ fees should be reduced to better align with how much cash consumers will receive from the deal.
“… [T]he Court disagrees that an impermissible self-interest is present just because Class Counsel may request for more than the class recovered,” the judge wrote. “The settlement offered a $20 million fund to the class, surpassing even the maximum amount that Class Counsel would have been allowed to receive.”
According to the order, class members who submitted claims via FlushableWipesSettlement.com or by mail by August 17, 2022 should receive payments within 90 days of June 12, 2023.
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June 6, 2022 – Flushable Wipes Settlement Website Is Live
The official settlement website, FlushableWipesSettlement.com, is now live and accepting claims.
Click here to submit your claim online. You’ll need your class member ID, which can be found in the notice you received from the settlement administrator. If you don’t have a class member ID, you can request one by clicking here.
The deadline for filing a claim is August 16, 2022.
If you have any questions about the settlement and can’t find what you’re looking for on the FAQs page, you can reach out to the settlement administrator through the contact information listed on this page.
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Kimberly-Clark Corporation has recently agreed to settle claims that its Cottonelle, Scott, Huggies Pull-Ups, Poise and Kotex flushable wipes are not that flushable after all.
According to a memo filed on April 5, Kimberly-Clark has agreed to pay up to $20 million to end two lawsuits that claimed the supposedly flushable wipes cannot be safely disposed of by being flushed down the toilet and can damage or clog plumbing, septic systems, sewage lines and pipes. Kimberly-Clark denies any wrongdoing but has decided to settle the two cases to put an end to the litigation.
The proposed settlement still needs to be approved by a judge, but keep reading to find out who the deal looks to cover, what the settlement could provide and how to file a claim for your share when the time comes.
Who’s covered by the settlement?
The settlement aims to cover anyone over the age of 18 who purchased (not for resale) Kimberly-Clark’s flushable wipes under the Cottonelle, Scott, Huggies Pull-Ups, Poise or Kotex brands anytime between February 21, 2008 and the date the deal receives preliminary approval.
What benefits will the settlement provide?
The settlement will allow those covered to receive cash payments for the wipes they bought.
Claimants who don’t submit proof of purchase will receive $0.70 per package for up to 10 packages of wipes, regardless of the number of wipes in each package. Those who do submit proof of purchase will receive $1.10 per package of wipes for up to 46 packages. Thus, the maximum payment per household is $50.60, and each household is limited to one claim.
Proof of purchase includes either the actual label or bar code portion of the wipes package (which must be mailed to the settlement administrator), or an original or photocopy or digital image of an itemized sales receipt from a retailer showing the date and place of purchase, name of the product and amount paid for the wipes.
How do I file a claim?
You won’t be able to file a claim until the settlement is approved. After that happens, there will be an official settlement website, FlushableWipesSettlement.com, where buyers can submit claims online or download a claim form to be mailed to the settlement administrator.
The claim form will ask you to provide your name and contact information, the number of packages of wipes you purchased and where you bought them. If you have proof of purchase, you can submit that along with the claim form. Importantly, if you’re submitting package labels or bar codes as proof of purchase, they must be mailed to the settlement administrator at the address listed on the claim form.
What happens next?
The next step in the process is preliminary approval. Once the judge overseeing the litigation gives the initial OK, the deal will be promoted online, including via social media.
An official settlement website, flushablewipessettlement.com, will also be set up so that those covered by the settlement can file a claim online or download a claim form and mail it to the settlement administrator.
In the meantime, you can stay up to date on the settlement by checking back to this page. We’ll post an update when and if the settlement gets approved and the website is live.
You can also get class action news and settlement information sent straight to your inbox by signing up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuits
Women who developed ovarian or uterine cancer after using hair relaxers such as Dark & Lovely and Motions may now have an opportunity to take legal action.
Read more here: Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuits
How Do I Join a Class Action Lawsuit?
Did you know there's usually nothing you need to do to join, sign up for, or add your name to new class action lawsuits when they're initially filed?
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