Samsung QWERTY Remotes Class Action

Samsung QWERTY Remotes Class Action

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (“Samsung”) in United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The complaint alleges that Samsung QWERTY remotes, included with certain Samsung Smart TVs, has a design defect that leads to excessive heat and premature device failure. In the worst cases, the defect can cause the remote’s batteries to catastrophically fail and leak acid.

Samsung’s Alleged Defective Design

According to the complaint, Samsung designed the remotes to allow for easier use of its Smart TVs – television sets with built-in Internet connectivity. The two-sided remotes featured what appeared to be a traditional television remote on one side, and a keyboard on the opposite side. The remotes, however, contained much more sophisticated electronics, including Bluetooth technology, which the remotes used instead of infrared beams to send information to the television sets. The complaint alleges that the Bluetooth technology and other electronics require a stronger power source, but rather than build the remotes with a stronger battery, Samsung “defectively shoehorned four AAA-sized batteries into the middle of the remote.” According to the complaint, this design is defective and causes the QWERTY remotes to generate excessive heat, prematurely fail, and cause their batteries to leak a dangerous substance.

Why does Samsung’s alleged defective design matter?

Besides the possible harm that could be caused by a battery leaking acid, the complaint states that Smart TVs that include the remote are sold at a premium compared to televisions sold without the remotes. Further, the QWERTY remotes themselves are more expensive to replace than standard infrared remotes. If the defect causes the remotes to prematurely fail, consumers are not getting the additional value that they paid for when they purchased the marked-up Smart TVs.

Who may have been affected?

Anyone who purchased a Samsung television that included a remote control, model number BN59-01134B, may be eligible to bring a claim. The remote, pictured below, features what appears to be a standard remote on one side, and a QWERTY-type keyboard on the opposite side.

 

Samsung Qwerty Remote Samsung Remote

What can those who may have been affected do?

The Kehoe Law Firm is ready to help.  Anyone who believes they have purchased a defective remote can speak to an attorney for a free, no-obligation consultation by calling Michael Yarnoff, Esq., (215) 792-6676, Ext. 804, or sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. is a multidisciplinary, plaintiff–side law firm dedicated to protecting investors and consumers from corporate fraud, negligence, and other wrongdoing. Driven by a strong and principled sense of social responsibility and obtaining justice for the aggrieved, Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. represents plaintiffs seeking to recover investment losses resulting from securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, corporate wrongdoing or malfeasance, those harmed by anticompetitive practices, and consumers victimized by fraud, false claims, deception or data breaches.  Together, the partners of the Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. have spent more than 30 years prosecuting precedent-setting securities and financial fraud cases in federal and state courts on behalf of institutional and individual clients.