Suit: Whirlpool knew of faulty fridges |
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Thu, 08 Mar 2007 20:33
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FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) - A federal lawsuit has been filed in western Arkansas against Whirlpool Corp., claiming the company has done nothing to fix or warn customers of leaky icemakers in some of its side-by-side refrigerators.The lawsuit, filed by Paula Rush of Churchville, Md., and Diane Perry of Chico, Calif., accuses the company of knowingly selling faulty refrigerators under the Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Roper brand names. The suit seeks class-action status.The refrigerators were made at Whirlpool's factory in Fort Smith.'At the time of sale, the refrigerators contained a defect, the effect of which is that the icemakers in the refrigerators do not work and the temperature controls fluctuate, which leads to flooding and water and property damage to the home,' the complaint said.The lawsuit asks for at least $5 million, and said the class could include 'tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands or millions of people.'A Whirlpool spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit.Rush paid more than $1,800 for a side-by-side Whirlpool refrigerator in 2004. The icemaker malfunctioned and leaked since she bought it, according to the lawsuit.Both plaintiffs say they notified Whirlpool of the problems, which continued even after the company sent repairmen to their homes.'Whirlpool has not recalled the refrigerators to repair the defect, has not offered to its customers a suitable repair or replacement free of charge, and has not offered to reimburse refrigerator owners, present or past, who incurred costs relating to refrigerator repairs or property damage resulting from the defect,' according to the lawsuit.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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