If you bought Tom’s of Maine toothpaste in the last six years, you could be eligible for a cash payout stemming from a recent $2.9 million settlement.
The class-action lawsuit filed against Tom’s parent company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, “alleged deceptive and misleading business practices with respect to the manufacturing, marketing, and sale” of certain toothpaste products.”
Tom’s is best known for its natural products. The toothpaste products were produced at its manufacturing facility in Sanford, Maine, where the company also makes deodorant and bar soap, and sold to consumers through third-party retailers.
What’s the issue in the class-action lawsuit?
During a May 2024 inspection of Tom’s Sanford manufacturing facility, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised concerns that certain conditions at the facility “were not in compliance its Current Good Manufacturing Processes.”
Following the inspection, a review of “pre-release testing data for approximately 4,900 finished toothpastes manufactured over a three-year period [. . .] found that no batch showed a safety risk to consumers.”
The lawsuits involved are: Denny v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., Case No. 24-cv-02129 (M.D. Fla.); Rabinowitz v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., Index No. 622019/2024 (N.Y. Sup. Ct.); Pitre v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., Case No. 4:24-cv-09318 (N.D. Cal.); Foreman v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., Case No. 3:25-cv-00314 (S.D. Cal.); Zetterstrom v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., Case No. 25-cv-02151 (S.D.N.Y.); and Rabinowitz et al. v. Colgate-Palmolive Company et al., No. 2:25-cv-6996 (JMW) (E.D.N.Y.)
Fast Company has reached out to Tom’s for comment. In the settlement, the company denied any wrongdoing.
