Colgate-Palmolive is currently facing several Colgate lawsuits, and one of them is paying consumers right now: a $2.9 million class action settlement covers anyone in the United States who bought Tom’s of Maine toothpaste between November 21, 2020, and March 6, 2026, with a claim deadline of July 6, 2026. Two other cases are active but not paying yet: a proposed class action alleging undisclosed lead and mercury in Colgate-branded toothpaste, and a California case challenging “recyclable” labels on Colgate’s toothpaste tubes.
The Tom’s of Maine Settlement You Can Claim Now
The settlement in Rabinowitz et al. v. Colgate-Palmolive Company et al. resolves claims that Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, a Colgate-Palmolive subsidiary product, was manufactured under conditions the FDA later flagged as unsanitary. A May 2024 inspection at the Sanford, Maine facility found Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other bacteria in water used to make products including Tom’s Simply White Clean Mint Paste, with contaminated water samples dating from June 2021 through October 2022. The FDA also cited a “black mold-like substance” near production equipment and noted that roughly 400 consumer complaints about odor, color, and taste had gone uninvestigated.1FDA. Colgate-Palmolive/Toms of Maine Inc Warning Letter The FDA declared the products “adulterated” in a November 5, 2024 warning letter.2ABC News. Toms Maine Toothpaste Made With Bacteria Contaminated Water FDA Says
Plaintiffs alleged that Tom’s marketing (phrases like “naturally sourced,” “good for you,” and “rigorous ingredient and packaging standards”) did not match the manufacturing reality. Legal claims included misrepresentation, breach of warranty, fraudulent concealment, and violations of consumer protection statutes in New York, Florida, and California.3ClassAction.org. Colgate-Palmolive Preliminary Approval Order
Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York gave the settlement preliminary approval on March 6, 2026. The final approval hearing is set for September 10, 2026 at the Central Islip Courthouse.4GovInfo. Rabinowitz et al. v. Colgate-Palmolive Company et al. Two objections were filed on May 19, 2026.5CourtListener. Rabinowitz v. Colgate-Palmolive Company
Who Qualifies
The class includes anyone in the United States who purchased Tom’s of Maine toothpaste between November 21, 2020 and March 6, 2026. All covered products were made at the Sanford, Maine facility.6ClassAction.org. 2.9M Toms Toothpaste Settlement Ends Class Action Over Alleged Product Contamination
How to File a Claim
Claims must be submitted by July 6, 2026. You can file online at www.ToothpasteSettlement.com or mail a paper form to the class administrator, Epiq Systems, at P.O. Box 2897, Portland, OR 97208-2897. To request a paper form, call 1-877-315-6779 or email info@ToothpasteSettlement.com.7Toothpaste Settlement. Long Form Notice
Payments depend on whether you kept your receipts. Without proof of purchase, you can claim cash equal to the average manufacturer’s suggested retail price for up to one Tom’s toothpaste product per household. With proof of purchase, you can claim a full refund of what you paid, capped at three products per claim.8Toothpaste Settlement. Settlement FAQ
What You’ll Actually Receive
There is no guaranteed per-person figure. The $2.9 million fund must cover class member payments, administration, attorney fees, and service awards. Class counsel has asked for fees of up to 33% of the fund, roughly $957,000, and the three class representatives may each receive up to $1,000 in service awards. The court can approve less.8Toothpaste Settlement. Settlement FAQ If approved claims exceed what’s left, everyone’s payment is reduced proportionally; if claims come in low, leftover funds go to the nonprofit Equal Justice Works. Nothing pays out until after the September 10, 2026 hearing and any appeals.9New Haven Register. Toms of Maine Toothpaste 2.9 Million Settlement
Heavy Metals Case Against Colgate Toothpaste
A separate proposed class action, Brower v. Colgate-Palmolive Company (Case No. 1:25-cv-03348), was filed April 22, 2025 in the Southern District of New York. It alleges Colgate-branded toothpastes contain undisclosed lead and mercury. Independent testing by Purity Laboratories, commissioned by the advocacy group Lead Safe Mama, reported that Colgate Watermelon Burst Toothpaste (marketed for kids) contained 302.1 parts per billion of lead and 6.9 ppb of mercury, and that Colgate Total Active Prevention Whitening Toothpaste contained 539 ppb of lead and 10.4 ppb of mercury.10Truth in Advertising. Brower v. Colgate-Palmolive Complaint
Those levels fall below current FDA limits for toothpaste (10,000 ppb in fluoride-free products, 20,000 ppb in fluoride products), but the complaint argues consumers would not expect any lead or mercury in a product marketed as safe for children.11The Guardian. Toothpaste Lead Heavy Metals Colgate has moved to dismiss. As of early 2026, discovery is paused pending that ruling, and no settlement or class has been certified.12CourtListener. Brower v. Colgate-Palmolive Company There is nothing to claim yet.
A related suit, White v. Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Case No. 1:25-cv-00662, E.D.N.Y.), filed February 6, 2025, makes similar allegations about lead and arsenic in Tom’s of Maine Kid’s Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste in Silly Strawberry flavor.13Spectrum News. Class Action Against Toms of Maine Alleges Presence of Lead and Arsenic in Toothpaste
The Recyclable Tube Case
Weingartner et al. v. Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Case No. 3:23-cv-04086), pending in the Northern District of California before Judge Joseph Spero, challenges the “recyclable” label on Colgate’s HDPE toothpaste tubes. Plaintiffs argue that although the tubes are technically recyclable, only a small share of facilities can actually process them, which violates the FTC’s Green Guides. Those guides require that at least 60% of consumers have access to facilities capable of recycling a product before it can be marketed that way. Judge Spero denied Colgate’s motion to dismiss in February 2024, finding that a reasonable consumer could be misled and that the company’s “check locally” disclaimers did not defeat the claim as a matter of law.14Packaging Dive. Colgate-Palmolive Lawsuit Toothpaste Tube Recyclable
As of January 2026, the case is in class certification proceedings, with the judge signaling openness to certifying multiple subclasses.15Law360. Im Not Buying It Judge Pans Ridiculous Colgate Argument No class has been certified and no settlement exists.
Older Talc Litigation Is Separate
If you’re searching after seeing news about Colgate talc verdicts, note that those cases involve Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder, which Colgate-Palmolive made from 1871 to 1985, and are personal-injury suits alleging asbestos-caused mesothelioma rather than consumer refund claims. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury in April 2015 found Colgate-Palmolive 95% liable for the mesothelioma of 73-year-old Judith Winkel, awarding $13 million and finding the company “acted with malice”; the parties settled confidentially before the punitive phase.16Sokolove Law. Talcum Powder Mesothelioma Because asbestos-related disease can take 20 to 50 years to appear, individual claims tied to historical Cashmere Bouquet use continue to be filed. Colgate-Palmolive maintains that its products never contained asbestos. These are individual injury cases, not something you join by filing a claim form.