FIGS, Inc., the direct-to-consumer medical scrubs company, has faced three notable lawsuits, and none has resulted in a payment against it. A jury rejected every claim in a $200 million false advertising suit brought by competitor Strategic Partners, Inc. in November 2022, and that litigation ended in February 2023 with no money changing hands. A separate consumer class action over antimicrobial marketing was dismissed in 2020, and a shareholder securities case was dismissed with prejudice in February 2025.
The Strategic Partners False Advertising Case
In January 2019, Strategic Partners, Inc. (SPI), doing business as Careismatic Brands, sued FIGS and co-founders Heather Hasson and Catherine “Trina” Spear in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.1dot.la. FIGS Lawsuit Win SPI, a Chatsworth-based manufacturer that produces scrubs under brands like Cherokee, Dickies, and Disney and holds roughly 40 percent of the U.S. scrubs market, sought more than $200 million in damages. The complaint alleged violations of the federal Lanham Act, California’s Unfair Competition Law, California’s False Advertising Law, and intentional interference with prospective economic relations.2Bird Marella. Bird Marella Wins Complete Defense Verdict for FIGS
The case went to trial before Judge John W. Holcomb in October 2022. After three weeks of trial, the jury deliberated less than one full day and returned a unanimous defense verdict on November 3, 2022. Jurors found that FIGS’s advertising claims were “not literally false” and did not deceive a “substantial segment” of its consumer audience.1dot.la. FIGS Lawsuit Win The jury rejected every claim, including the intentional interference claim against Hasson and Spear personally, and answered a special interrogatory finding that SPI had “unclean hands” because it had made marketing claims similar to those it accused FIGS of making.3Munger, Tolles & Olson. Munger Tolles Olson Secures Complete Defense Verdict on Behalf of FIGS and Its Co-Founders
SPI initially signaled that it would appeal. Instead, the parties settled. On February 22, 2023, FIGS announced the litigation had ended with neither party making any payments or taking on further obligations.4FIGS Investor Relations. SPI’s Litigation Against FIGS Is Over
What SPI Alleged
The core allegation was that FIGS misrepresented the antimicrobial properties of its scrubs. FIGS had marketed the products as capable of killing bacteria on contact using a silver-based treatment called Silvadur, and at one point claimed its fabric “reduces hospital acquired infection rates by 66%.”5ASRN. Co-Founders of Scrubs Maker FIGS Sued for False Advertising, Unfair Business Practices SPI’s consultants alleged that bacteria survived on the material long after contact and that the antimicrobial coating was present on only 21 percent of the fabric.6WWD. FIGS Scrubs Controversy Marketing Lawsuit
FIGS countered with independent testing under the industry-standard AATCC TM-100 method, which it said showed a 99 percent reduction in surface bacteria, and it pointed out that SPI’s own submitted testing conceded that “particles of silver were detected on the FIGS scrubs’ fabric.”7FIGS. Litigation FIGS also argued that SPI used the same Silvadur chemistry in its own products.8dot.la. FIGS Scrubs Lawsuit
SPI also attacked the “Threads for Threads” donation program, alleging FIGS sent lower-cost scrubs to recipients rather than the items customers purchased and staged photoshoots in Los Angeles to depict charitable missions in Africa.5ASRN. Co-Founders of Scrubs Maker FIGS Sued for False Advertising, Unfair Business Practices7FIGS. Litigation9New York Post. Medical Scrubs Startup FIGS Gears Up for IPO Amid Legal Battle A separate trade secret allegation against Spear was dismissed by the court on August 10, 2021, without leave to refile.10WWD. FIGS Wins SPI Lawsuit Medical Scrubs Antimicrobial False Advertising
The Consumer Class Action
In August 2019, Avegail Torres, a California registered nurse, filed a proposed class action titled Torres v. Figs, Inc. The complaint alleged that FIGS falsely advertised its scrubs and lab coats as antimicrobial and capable of “killing bacteria and infection immediately on contact” through a proprietary treatment called FionTechnology. It brought claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and violations of California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Unfair Competition Law, and False Advertising Law.11ClassAction.org. Torres v. Figs, Inc. et al Complaint
The proposed class would have covered all U.S. purchasers of FIGS products marketed as antimicrobial from 2013 onward. The complaint noted that FIGS had already begun removing antimicrobial claims from its website and marketing materials in June or July 2019, before the suit was filed.12ClassAction.org. FIGS Hit With Class Action Over Antimicrobial Claims for Healthcare Apparel The lawsuit was dismissed on February 12, 2020.13ClassAction.org. FIGS Scrubs Antimicrobial Lawsuit
The Shareholder Securities Case
Investors sued FIGS in Sean Ryan v. FIGS Inc. et al. (Case No. 2:22-cv-07939), alleging the company misled them about its ability to predict demand, its reliance on air freight around its IPO and secondary offering, and inflated 2022 financial projections. The case was assigned to Judge Otis D. Wright II in the Central District of California.14Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse. FIGS, Inc. Securities Litigation
Judge Wright dismissed the complaint in January 2024, finding that investors had not adequately supported their allegations of fraudulent intent or shown that the company and its executives possessed the knowledge required for liability.15Bloomberg Law. Medical Apparel Maker FIGS Gets Reprieve From Investors Lawsuit The plaintiffs filed an amended complaint in March 2024, which the court again largely dismissed in January 2025. Rather than amend a second time, the lead plaintiff notified the court of its intent not to refile, and the case was dismissed with prejudice on February 13, 2025. The plaintiff filed a notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit around the same time.14Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse. FIGS, Inc. Securities Litigation