Manufacturing Defect Claim Trimmed from N.J. Benzene-Contaminated Deodorant Case

TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey federal judge has trimmed a manufacturing defect claim from a lawsuit alleging that benzene in Idelle Labs Inc.’s Secret deodorant caused a man to develop leukemia, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to provide evidence of a defect in the manufacturing process.

However, in an April 10 order, Judge William J. Martini of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey allowed the plaintiffs to amend their claims for design defect and failure to warn.

Ira Brief was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in February 2022, which he says was caused …