US District Court judge orders Amazon to release customer data in connection to WEN Haircare lawsuit

Amazon has been ordered by US District Court Judge James Robart to disclose customer information for people who purchased WEN hair products on the ecommerce site.

The ruling is connected to a lawsuit involving WEN Haircare products. According to a report on Media Post, Guthy-Renker, the company behind the WEN Haircare line, settled the lawsuit.

Media Post staff writer Wendy Davis writes:

WEN’s products allegedly led to a host of adverse effects, including hair loss. The company agreed to settle the case by paying $25 to everyone who purchased the conditioner, and up to $20,000 to people who had a bad reaction to it.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case had requested customer information from Amazon and other retailers to notify anyone who had purchased WEN Haircare products that a settlement had been reached.

On November 4, Amazon attorneys filed a motion not to disclose customer information, arguing that the release of information is in direct conflict with Amazon’s policies.

From Amazon’s motion to protect customer data:

Amazon takes very seriously its customers’ privacy and the security of their confidential information. Inversely, customers rely on Amazon’s privacy policies and expect their personal data to be safe. Plaintiffs’ demand is doubly intrusive because it forces Amazon to violate its customers’ trust, and it invades those customers’ privacy without notice. Plaintiffs assume that consumers would prioritize notice of a class action settlement recovery over the security of their personal data, but that is not a choice that Plaintiffs or this Court have the right to make.

The Media Post report says QVC, Sephora and Overstock all agreed to turn over customer information.