Lilian Sanitary Pads' Harm Controversy: Consumer Lawsuit Loses on Appeal

[Photo by Clean Land] Sanitary pad Lilian

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Consumers who used the 'Lilian' sanitary pads, which sparked controversy over side effects, filed a damages lawsuit against the manufacturer but lost in both the first trial and the appeal.

The Civil Division 15 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Suk-yeon Lee) ruled on the 27th that the damages lawsuit filed by 781 plaintiffs including Mr. A against 'KleanNara' was dismissed, just as in the first trial. Previously, in 2017, Mr. A and others claimed that KleanNara manufactured and sold sanitary pads containing harmful substances, causing mental distress to consumers, and demanded compensation. Among the consumers, those who received hospital treatment claimed 3 million KRW per person, and those who did not receive treatment claimed 2 million KRW per person. The first trial court ruled in favor of KleanNara, stating, "It is difficult to see that the defendant could have foreseen that the volatile organic compounds contained in the sanitary pads could have a negative impact on the human body."

Initially, the number of plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit reached 5,300, and the lawsuits were divided into nine cases. However, after losing all cases in the first trial, only 781 appealed. The appeal court consolidated all nine lawsuits for trial.