N.J. Court Dismisses Action Alleging Benzene in J&J Coal Tar Shampoo Products

CAMDEN, N.J. — A New Jersey federal judge has dismissed a putative class action accusing Johnson & Johnson of failing to warn that its Neutrogena coal tar shampoo contains dangerous levels of benzene, ruling that the plaintiff failed to allege a “particularized” injury.

In a Dec. 12 order, Judge Michael A. Shipp of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey found the complaint is “impermissibly vague” as to the plaintiff’s individual purchase of the Neutrogena T/Gel shampoo and the testing that allegedly shows widespread contamination in the coal tar shampoo products.

David Grodnick, a New Jersey citizen, …