Newell Brands Inc. & Sunbeam Products, Inc. Subject Of Class Action For The Alleged Marketing, Manufacture And/Or Sale Of Consumer Products Containing Warranty Statements That Condition The Continued Validity Of A Warranty On The Use Of Only An Authorized Repair Service
On January 7, 2022, a class action lawsuit was filed in United States District Court for the District Of Massachusetts, against Newell Brands Inc. and Sunbeam Products, Inc. for the manufacture, marketing, and/or sale of consumer products under the Sunbeam, Crockpot, Oyster, and Mr. Coffee brand names with warranty statements that constitute an alleged, illegal “tying arrangement” – a circumstance which conditions a consumer product’s warranty on the use of a specific repair service.
The complaint, among other things, alleges that the Newell and Sunbeam Defendants “exacerbate these violations by stating on the outside of the product packaging that the [p]roducts include a one-year limited warranty, but the unlawful repair restriction is not revealed to the consumer until after the point of sale.”
According to the class action complaint, “a reasonable consumer would rely on the warranty mentioned on the outside of the packaging,” and if class members knew about the “unlawful repair restriction, they would not have purchased the [p]roduct, or would have paid significantly less for it.” The Defendants’ conduct is an an alleged violation of the tying prohibition of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
For more information about repair restrictions and illegal “tying arrangements,” please click here.
If you feel that you have been prevented or obstructed from having a consumer product repaired using third-party replacement parts or independent repair shops or facilities, or that your warranty was voided, or will be voided, because of independent repair, please complete the form on the right or e-mail [email protected] for a free, no-obligation evaluation of potential legal claims.
Kehoe Law Firm, P.C.