Guido v. L'Oreal, USA, Inc.

284 F.R.D. 468, 2012 WL 1616912, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65200
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedMay 7, 2012
DocketNos. CV 11-1067 CAS (JCx), CV 11-5465 CAS (JCx)
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 284 F.R.D. 468 (Guido v. L'Oreal, USA, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Guido v. L'Oreal, USA, Inc., 284 F.R.D. 468, 2012 WL 1616912, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65200 (C.D. Cal. 2012).

Opinion

Proceedings: PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR CLASS CERTIFICATION (filed 2/1/2012)

CHRISTINA A. SNYDER, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

On February 3, 2011, plaintiffs Jill Guido, a California resident, and Natalie Lefebvre, a Texas resident, commenced this action in this Court by filing a complaint against defendants L’Oreal, USA, Inc. and L’Oreal USA Products, Inc. in Case No. CV 11-1067 CAS (JCx). On April 1, 2011, Guido and Lefebvre filed a first amended complaint.

Meanwhile, on February 4, 2011, plaintiffs Catherine Altamura, a California resident, and Lisa Pearly, a New York resident, filed a similar complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the same defendants. On May 5, 2011, Altamura and Pearly voluntarily dis[472]*472missed the New York action and refiled the action in this Court on June 30, 2011. See Case No. CV 11-5465 CAS (JCx).

By order dated September 19, 2011, the Court consolidated the two cases for pretrial purposes. On April 3, 2012, the parties stipulated to dismiss Guido as a named plaintiff. On April 23, 2012, plaintiffs indicated their intent to seek a stipulation to dismiss Le-febvre as a class representative with prejudice. The complaints are brought on behalf of putative classes of California and New York residents who purchased a L’Oreal hair care product known as Gamier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum (“Serum”).1 The complaints generally allege that defendants (1) failed to properly label Serum as being flammable or combustible when near flames, sources of ignition, or high heat producing styling appliances, and (2) made affirmative misrepresentations on Serum’s packaging and in advertisements that suggested it was safe to use Serum in proximity to such appliances.

Plaintiffs filed the instant motion for class certification on February 2, 2012.2 Plaintiffs seek certification of a California class and New York class for any person who purchased Serum during the period from February 4, 2008, to the present (the “Class Period”), asserting the following claims:

(1) A California class for claims arising under Cal. Bus. & Prof.Code §§ 17200 and 17500 et seq. (“UCL”); the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Cal. Civ.Code § 1750 et seq. (“CLRA”); and the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, Cal. Civ.Code §§ 1792 & 1791(a), (b) (“Song-Beverly Act”); and
(2) A New York class for claims arising under New York’s General Business Law §§ 349 and 350 (“GBL”), for deceptive acts and practices and false advertising, respectively.

Defendants filed an opposition to plaintiffs’ motion on April 16, 2012. Plaintiffs filed a reply on April 23, 2012. The Court held a hearing on May 7, 2012. After carefully considering the arguments set forth by both parties, the Court finds and concludes as follows.

II. BACKGROUND

Serum is a hairstyling product manufactured, distributed, and marketed by defendants for sale in retail outlets nationwide. Declaration of Grace Parasmo (“Parasmo Deck”) Exh. 1, at 24r-25 (deposition of Gamier Senior VP Katheryn Peeler). Seram was launched in 2004 for a suggested retail price of $5.99 per bottle, which has remained constant throughout the product’s existence in the market. Id. at 69:9-12. During the Class Period, defendants sold approximately 9.9 million units of Serum throughout the nation. Id., Exh. 2 at 1.

Serum’s label and packaging has changed three times since its introduction to the market. When it was launched in 2004, Serum was sold in a clear green round-shaped bottle with a label that included a flammability warning written in green text. See id., Exh. 3 (“Avoid Fire, Flame, Smoking and Heat (Except For Styling Appliances) During Application and Until Hair is Completely Dry.”). Near the end of 2006, Gamier removed denatured alcohol as an ingredient in Seram in order to comply with California’s Volatile Organic Compound regulations, Cal. Code Regs. tit. 17, § 94509(a). Declaration of Katherine F. Murray (“Murray Deck”), Exh. B at 56:3-17 (Peeler deposition). At the beginning of 2007, Gamier altered the bottle’s shape, from a round shape to a bell shape, and removed the flammability warning. Id. at 61:21-62:19.3

The 2004 and 2007 iterations of the bottle contain identical directions, instructing consumers to use the product as follows:

[473]*473DIRECTIONS: Dispense 1 pump of serum, or as much as needed for your hair type, into the palms of your hands. Apply uniformly to towel-dried or dry hair. Do not rinse. For sleekest look, style using brush and blowdryer. For best results, use Garnier Fruetis Sleek and Shine System.

Parasmo Deel., Exh. 3.

Both labels also list the ingredients, including cyclopentsiloxane and dimethiconol. According to plaintiffs, those two ingredients — and not the denatured alcohol that was removed in late 2006 — are the ingredients that render Serum flammable. Mot. at 3. Defendants maintain that the denatured alcohol was the only flammable ingredient used in any iteration of Serum.4 Opp’n at 5.

III. LEGAL STANDARD

“Class actions have two primary purposes: (1) to accomplish judicial economy by avoiding multiple suits, and (2) to protect rights of persons who might not be able to present claims on an individual basis.” Haley v. Medtronic, Inc., 169 F.R.D. 643, 647 (C.D.Cal.1996) (citing Crown, Cork & Seal Co. v. Parker, 462 U.S. 345, 103 S.Ct. 2392, 76 L.Ed.2d 628 (1983)). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 governs class actions. A class action “may be certified if the trial court is satisfied after a rigorous analysis, that the prerequisites of Rule 23(a) have been satisfied.” Gen. Tel. Co. of the Southwest v. Falcon, 457 U.S. 147, 161, 102 S.Ct. 2364, 72 L.Ed.2d 740 (1982).

To certify a class action, plaintiffs must set forth facts that provide prima facie support for the four requirements of Rule 23(a): (1) numerosity; (2) commonality; (3) typicality; and (4) adequacy of representation. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, 564 U.S. -, -, 131 S.Ct. 2541, 2548, 180 L.Ed.2d 374 (2011); Dunleavy v. Nadler (In re Mego Fin. Corp. Sec. Litig.), 213 F.3d 454, 462 (9th Cir.2000). These requirements effectively “limit the class claims to those fairly encompassed by the named plaintiffs claims.” Falcon, 457 U.S. at 155, 102 S.Ct. 2364 (quoting Califano v. Yamasaki, 442 U.S. 682, 701, 99 S.Ct. 2545, 61 L.Ed.2d 176 (1979)).

If the Court finds that the action meets the prerequisites of Rule 23(a), the Court must then consider whether the class is maintainable under Rule 23(b). Dukes, 131 S.Ct. at 2548.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Moore v. Apple Inc.
309 F.R.D. 532 (N.D. California, 2015)
Allen v. Similasan Corp.
306 F.R.D. 635 (S.D. California, 2015)
In re Scotts EZ Seed Litigation
304 F.R.D. 397 (S.D. New York, 2015)
Goldemberg v. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc.
8 F. Supp. 3d 467 (S.D. New York, 2014)
Waller v. Hewlett-Packard Co.
295 F.R.D. 472 (S.D. California, 2013)
Astiana v. Kashi Co.
291 F.R.D. 493 (S.D. California, 2013)
Tait v. BSH Home Appliances Corp.
289 F.R.D. 466 (C.D. California, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
284 F.R.D. 468, 2012 WL 1616912, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65200, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guido-v-loreal-usa-inc-cacd-2012.