Lawsuit seeks $500 million over Ebola gowns

The lawsuit claims that Kimberly-Clark Corp. falsely advertised its surgical gowns as protecting against infectious diseases, including Ebola.

Hrayr Shahinian, a Los Angeles surgeon, along with 500,000 others, filed the suit with California law firm Eagan Avenatti. Eagan Avenatti alleges the gowns put workers and patients at "considerable risk" and that Kimberly-Clark knew that its "Microcool Breathable High Performance Surgical Gown" had failed impermeability tests.

Eagan Avenatti says that millions of the gowns have been sold since 2011, and the firm is seeking a class-action lawsuit for fraud, false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair business practice. Michael Avenatti, the plaintiffs' lead attorney, said that workers "contracted various diseases" while wearing the gown.

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"Kimberly-Clark needs to immediately recall these gowns and come clean with the FDA, CDC, healthcare professionals, and the general public," Avenatti said in a statement. "The risks associated with continued concealment of the truth are far too great."