⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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Heagney, et al. v. John Paul Mitchell Systems — 9th Cir. (argued August 31, 2026)

No. 25-6818 Argued August 31, 2026 Published September 2, 2026

The Ninth Circuit hears Heagney versus John Paul Mitchell Systems. Consumers allege that the company's ‘no animal testing’ labels misled California buyers. A district judge certified a purchaser class. This appeal asks whether exposure to the label, its importance to a reasonable buyer, and damages can be addressed with common proof across the class. It does not decide whether the labels were false.

Heagney, et al. v. John Paul Mitchell Systems (No. 25-6818) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued August 31, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/08/31/25-6818.mp3
Argument page — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=25-6818&hearingDate=2026-08-31
Argument metadata — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://oldrbx80f5.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prod/media/25-6818?hearingDate=2026-08-31
Class-certification order — U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-00687/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-00687-3.pdf
Complaint — U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California:https://www.classaction.org/media/heagney-et-al-v-john-paul-mitchell-systems.pdf
Appellant's opening brief — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://www.schaerr-jaffe.com/wp-content/uploads/260218_19.1_Appellants-Opening-Brief-John-Paul-Mitchell-Systems.pdf
Federal Rules of Evidence — U.S. Courts:https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-evidence.pdf
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals — U.S. Reports:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-509/pdf/USREPORTS-509-579.pdf
Hedonic-method reference — U.S. Census Bureau:https://www2.census.gov/ces/wp/2023/CES-WP-23-26.pdf

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