Lawsuit Against FIGS Says Scrubs Were Falsely Advertised as “Antimicrobial”
Last Updated on February 12, 2020
Important Information
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are no longer investigating this matter. The information here is for reference only. A list of open investigations and lawsuits can be viewed here.
Case Update
- February 12, 2020 – Lawsuit Dismissed
- The lawsuit detailed on this page, Torres v. FIGS, Inc., has been dismissed. The court document stipulating the dismissal can be found here. For an active list of investigations, please visit our lawsuit list page.
- January 28, 2020 – Investigation Closed
- Thank you to everyone who contributed to this investigation. Unfortunately, attorneys working with ClassAction.org have decided not to move forward with this matter. This doesn’t mean, however, that you don’t have rights. If you’re still interested in pursuing action against Figs, Inc., please contact an attorney in your area. There may be others still interested in handling this matter. For a list of ClassAction.org’s open investigations, visit this page.
At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Anyone who purchased scrubs or lab coats from FIGS that were advertised as being “antimicrobial.”
- What’s Going On?
- A class action lawsuit has been filed alleging that FIGS, Inc. falsely advertised its scrubs and lab coats as being able to “kill bacteria immediately on contact.” Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have now launched their own investigation into the allegations and need to hear from people who bought the clothing.
- What Can a Class Action Do?
- A class action could help consumers get back the money they spent on the apparel. It could also force FIGS to notify customers of its alleged misrepresentations.
A class action lawsuit has been filed alleging that FIGS Inc.’s claims that its scrubs and lab coats are “antimicrobial” and able to kill bacteria “immediately on contact” are both untrue and unfounded.
The suit says that nurses, doctors and other medical staff paid a premium for the apparel and are owed their money back, as well as a concession from FIGS that it falsely advertised its products.
FIGS’s Conduct Is “Reprehensible,” Lawsuit Says
The lawsuit claims that FIGS has not only inflated the price of its products based on “utterly false” claims but also created a health and safety risk by leading medical professionals to believe its clothing could kill bacteria and infection on contact.
What’s worse, the suit says, is that FIGS knew the clothing couldn’t live up to its “antimicrobial” claims, yet continued to make the same false and misleading statements.
The scrubs and lab coats at issue claimed to have “FionTechnology” and were supposed to be wrinkle-resistant, breathable, moisture-wicking, “capable of killing bacteria and infection immediately on contact,” and capable of reducing hospital-acquired infections. The “antimicrobial” properties were said to be attributed to silver ions incorporated into the fabric’s “polymer structure.” At least two studies, however, have debunked claims that silver has the ability to kill bacteria and disease when present in medical scrubs.
Further, the suit says, FIGS has no scientific evidence of its own to back its claims.
It has been alleged that in June or July 2019, FIGS began quietly removing “antimicrobial” claims in its marketing materials – even going so far as to disable website pages that included such statements. Still, the lawsuit claims, FIGS has not notified customers that its products cannot kill bacteria and infection as advertised and will continue “the threat of harm to the public” and medical community until it decides to do so.
How a Class Action Could Help
A class action lawsuit, if successful, could help FIGS customers get back the money they spent on the company’s “antimicrobial” apparel. Further, the court could require that the company notify customers that its scrubs and lab coats do not have antimicrobial properties as previously advertised.
The suit claims that FIGS’s customers paid “significantly” more for the scrubs because of their antimicrobial representations and would not have bought them – or would have paid less – had they known the truth.
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