FasciaBlaster Class Action Lawsuit Against Ashley Black: Facebook Threats, 40 Percent BPA Cellulite Tool Buzz

The FasciaBlaster anti-cellulite tool by Ashley Black has become so popular that Khloe Kardashian used a FasciaBlaster on Kourtney Kardashian during a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, as reported by the Inquisitr. Khloe explained that she used her own FasciaBlaster in bed and scrubbed really hard, as instructed to do with the FasciaBlaster tool, in hopes of getting rid of cellulite. However, a new class action lawsuit via the law offices of Perrin F. Disner out of Sherman Oaks, California, features several women and one man claiming that the FasciaBlaster tool hurt them. They are also accusing Black of false advertising. Ginevra Liptan, M.D. wrote that using the FasciaBlaster with too much pressure can cause problems, according to Hello Giggles.

“If used incorrectly with too much pressure, the FasciaBlaster can create more scar tissue and worsen pain.”

Testimony from FasciaBlaster users is blaming the tool for much worse problems. According to court documents, plaintiffs Emily Elson, Stacy Haavisto, Loretta Oakes, Michelle Lanum, Julia Lefebvre, Sue Grlicky, Tilly Dorenkamp, Dina Salas, Arlene Rodriguez, and Jerry Gaines are asking for relief and damages under the laws of the State of California. The defendants in the lawsuit are Ashley Black and Ashley Diana Black International Holdings, LLC, as well as ADB Interests, LLC. The FasciaBlaster tool has been accused of not delivering on the many promises claimed by what the lawsuit alleges is “false and deceptive advertising,” mostly spread via targeted Facebook ads.

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— Shoop | A Professional Law Corporation (@ShoopLawFirm) October 4, 2017

With the FasciaBlaster main tool priced at $89, the FasciaBlaster has gained fame for promising to help smooth out the lumps and bumps associated with cellulite by “blasting” various areas of the body that have been heated in a warm environment. However, the lawsuit “blasts” Ashley as “an individual living in Manhattan Beach, California,” who relishes her guru status in the health industry.

Among those alleging they were harmed by the FasciaBlaster include 40-year-old Emily Elson, who bought a FasciaBlaster in March 2017 or so, after seeing Facebook ads claiming a FasciaBlaster could reduce cellulite. After Elson “blasted” weekly for a period of four or five weeks, the lawsuit claims she stopped “when a host of physical ailments began to arise.”

“Prior to the events described herein, Elson had last undergone a test for AntiMullerian Hormone (‘AMH’ which indicates ?ovarian age,’ i.e. overall fitness for fertilization) at age 38, at which time her AMH levels were optimal. After ?blasting’ for only a short period in or around March of 2017, Elson became very ill. She is a carrier of the Epstein-Barr virus, and had successfully managed that condition with natural supplements, keeping ?flare ups’ at bay for approximately two years before she began ?blasting.’ Immediately after ?blasting,’ however, she experienced an abrupt, aggressive and painful flare up of Epstein-Barr virus symptoms, persisting to the date hereof. On information and belief, ?blasting’ released and reactivated dormant virus cells which had previously been trapped benignly within e.g. subcutaneous fat cells, a conclusion which Elson and multiple health practitioners later reached after learning about other FasciaBlaster users’ having had the same experience with cases of ?reactivated’ Epstein-Barr, Shingles, Lyme disease, etc.”

The lawsuit went on to claim that Elson experienced intense menstrual and other unusual hormonal side-effects than she had previously experienced, with her FSH and LH levels nearly doubling as her Progesterone level “dropped precipitously” and her Estrogen levels “swung wildly,” leaving her with “compromised fertility.”

The name "FasciaBlaster" should be enough to make you run away https://t.co/V16KwOWMCy

— Bianca Field (@neurobiancology) July 26, 2017

Stacy Haavisto, according to the lawsuit, “was subject to aggressive targeted” Facebook ads promoting the FasciaBlaster as a good option to reduce cellulite. Wanting to lose weight, Stacy bought her first FasciaBlaster circa April 2016. She “blasted” five times per week for a period of three months or so. Stacy went on to buy a total of approximately $500 in FasciaBlaster products.

“From the beginning, ?blasting’ would cause Haavisto to feel foggy headed, lethargic, and physically fatigued. She grew more and more ill, suffering constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, gas pains, heart palpitations, insomnia, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, blurred vision, vertigo, and severe headaches every day upon waking. Adding insult to injury, ?blasting’ caused her to gain 13 pounds, and she grew so inflamed and bloated that she appeared to have gained 30 pounds.”

Haavisto ended up giving up blasting and lost 36 pounds, but due to claims that her skin was hanging loosely off her body, she starting “blasting” again in hopes that her skin would tighten and firm. She quickly gained eight pounds, according to the lawsuit. A host of other issues are alleged by Haavisto, including the harassment and cyber-bullying she says she experienced after sharing her thoughts in a public FasciaBlaster discussion group on Facebook. Instructions on how to cyber-bully detractors of the FasciaBlaster are included in the lawsuit, which include instructions to leave negative reviews on the Yelp business pages of anyone who complains.

Under the “Fasciablaster’s Chemical Composition” section of the lawsuit, claims about the BPA content are alleged.

“Plaintiffs are informed and believe, and thereon allege, that FasciaBlaster has been and is dangerous and defective in its design, and unfit to be used for any purpose by any person, and that Defendants have been on actual and constructive notice of said unfitness at all relevant times. On information and belief, the chemical composition of the plastic in a FasciaBlaster device includes more than 40% Bisphenol A (“BPA”), which can both mimic and antagonize estrogen in the body. Multiple scientific studies link BPA to endocrine system disruption, dating as far back as 1997. Studies have linked BPA’s xenoestrogenic effects to, inter alia, metabolic disease, thyroid disruption, neurological damage, interference with fetal and early childhood development, dopaminergic harms (e.g. attention deficits and increased susceptibility to drug addiction), and multiple cancers (most prominently, breast cancer).”

Loretta Oakes bought a FasciaBlaster, as well as the “Mini 2” and the “Faceblaster,” and “blasted” as directed. However, the lawsuit claims that she ended up with tingling in her feet and was at times in “too much pain to walk, ” leaving her “bedridden from November 2016, through January 2017, other than for doctor appointments.” The severe bruising that has remained as “hemosiderin staining on her legs for over six months since she ceased ?blasting’ in approximately March of 2017” is also mentioned in the lawsuit. Loose and crepe-like skin and nausea are also mentioned.

Michelle Lanum bought a FasciaBlaster and participated in a putative “clinical trial” for the device at the Applied Science & Performance Institute (“ASPI”) in her own neighborhood. However, the clinical trial of the FasciaBlaster from December 10, 2016, through March 10, 2017, did not turn out as Michelle hoped. The lawsuit claims Michelle suffered from “nausea, vomiting, migraines, neck and shoulder pain, dizziness, and severe gastrointestinal distress alternating between prolonged and painful constipation to violent diarrhea.”

Michelle also rapidly lost 19 pounds and blames “blasting” for the “severe varicose and spider veins on Lanum’s legs” that appeared, along with a worsening appearance of cellulite. Reporting her findings to those running the clinical trial, Michelle claims she was met with denials that the FasciaBlaster could cause such symptoms. A “Doctor Bart” referred to in the videos is not a doctor at all, claims the lawsuit. Lanum questioned the professionalism of the FasciaBlaster study.

Julia Lefebvre bought a FasciaBlaster before going on a cruise in hopes of “cellulite reduction” prior to her vow renewal vacation. Lefebvre discovered plenty of positive customer reviews for the FasciaBlaster and no negative reviews. She bought a FasciaBlaster and began blasting often, continuing after severe bruising because instructions claimed it would get worse before it got better. Her bruises didn’t fade away when her vacation time arrived. In fact, the lawsuit described scarier episodes that were to come for Julia.

“Lefebvre saw stars and collapsed to the floor while ?blasting,’ and lay on the floor unable to speak or move for three to five terrifying minutes, her body twitching and convulsing involuntarily. When her husband came home, he took her to the emergency room, where a physician told her that she may have triggered the episode by overheating and over stimulating her vagus nerve, i.e. Vasovagal Syncope, which clearly would have been a consequence of ?blasting.’ Lefebvre subsequently continued blasting, but did so more gently and with less heat applied to her abdomen in order to avoid a response from her vagus nerve.”

Julia stopped driving for a period of time and quit blasting. She continued to spend thousands of dollars in order to try and repair the damage she claims the blasting did to her face.

Sue Grlicky, 52, bought a FasciaBlaster after joining the “Ashley Black Guru” Facebook discussion group and reading Black’s book, The Cellulite Myth: It’s Not Fat, It’s Fascia. Sue blasted five times per week and contacted Black about “bad detox” symptoms she underwent. Sue, according to her chiropractor, was diagnosed with a pinched nerve. Grlicky saw a Cleveland Clinic Hospital neurologist who confirmed the pinched nerve diagnosis. Grlicky received MRIs and X-rays, and was prescribed the “neuropathic medication Gabapentin and the pain medication Tramadol.” Sue eventually went to the ER, where doctors asked her if she was in an accident.

“She was then told that a burst blood vessel had caused a massive hematoma and internal bleeding in her pelvic region (left side). After trying and failing to find any exterior bruising in the area, the ER doctor told Grlicky that ‘this is highly unusual, not something we see often [other than after e.g. a violent collision].’ Grlicky was admitted to the hospital for an overnight stay in order for doctors to stop her internal bleeding.”

Tilly Dorenkamp bought a FasciaBlaster, and via the study, she was given a FaceBlaster. According to the lawsuit, anxiety and painful reactions followed. Dina Salas is a 40-year-old woman who bought a FasciaBlaster and gently used it, encouraged by before-and-after photos on Facebook but ended up with “severe itchiness” and no cures for her MS condition. Arlene Rodriguez, 38, bought a FasciaBlaster and claims she experienced burning body pain, bad mood swings, and was eventually blocked from the “Ashley Black Guru” Facebook page.

Jerry Gaines used the FasciaBlaster device given to him by Lanum according to “migraine relief protocol” promoted on the FasciaBlaster Facebook page. He eventually “suffered a stroke in June 2017.”

“Following Gaines’s stroke, Lanum found testimonials from dissatisfied FasciaBlaster users online, which made reference to the device’s dangerous tendency to release blood clots. Lanum brought the foregoing to the attention of Gaines and his physician, and the latter demanded that Gaines immediately cease all ?blasting’; specifically, his doctor expressly said ‘throw that thing [FasciaBlaster] away!’ Since then, Gaines has had to undergo extensive speech therapy and cognitive exercise programs, as well as physical therapy and treatments to restore his neurological system, including multiple weeks at an expensive in-patient rehabilitation facility.”

Dated October 19, the lawsuit requests a trial by jury.

Jim Bates, a member of the firm Sitrick And Company, provided the following statement.

“Statement on behalf of ADB Interests LLC:
This frivolous suit is nothing more than a shakedown effort growing out of a harassment and smear campaign launched by Ms. Black’s embittered ex-husband, Dari Samia, after she obtained a protective order against him. The individuals in this suit are all members of Mr. Samia’s gang of Internet trolls–they relentlessly spread false information, personally attack, stalk her and her family and have filed bogus reports with various government agencies. While we have yet to receive any documents regarding this matter, judging by the false statements in the [lawsuit] (i.e. 40% BPA vs. the actual 0.0036%), we look forward to an expedient dismissal.”

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