The National Trial Lawyers
  • Home
    • Meet Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Mission & Goals
    • FAQ
  • Webinars
  • News
  • Membership Directory
    • Top 100 Map – Civil Plaintiff
    • Top 100 Map – Criminal Defense
    • Top 40 Under 40 Map – Civil Plaintiff
    • Top 40 Under 40 Map – Criminal Defense
  • Top 100
    • Civil Plaintiff Officers / Executive Committee
    • Criminal Defense Officers / Executive Committee
    • Benefits
    • About
    • Top 100 Presidents Message
    • Diplomat
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
    • Top 100 Badge
  • Top 40
    • Civil Plaintiff Officers / Executive Committee
    • Criminal Defense Officers / Executive Committee
    • Top 40 Under 40 Trial Academy Bootcamp
    • Benefits
    • About
    • Top 40 Presidents Message
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
    • Top 40 Badge
  • Specialty Assoc
    • About
    • Shop
    • Officers
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
  • Nominate
    • Top 100
    • Top 40
    • Specialty Association
    • Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame
    • Trial Lawyer of the Year
    • Trial Team of the Year
    • America’s Most Influential Trial Lawyer
    • America’s Most Influential Law Firm
    • Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Shop
  • Magazine
    • A-List
  • Education and Networking Agenda
    • Trial Lawyers Summit
    • Top 40 Under 40 Trial Academy Boot Camp
    • Mass Torts Made Perfect
    • The Lanier Trial Academy Master Class 6.0
    • The Business Of Law
    • Webinars
  • Hall of Fame
    • Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame

$18 Million Settlement Reached in Flushmate Exploding Toilet Class Action

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Andrew Findley
legal-news-for-consumers

Two million Flushmate systems were installed, including American Standard, Kohler and other brands of toilets.

A settlement worth $18 million has been reached in a class action lawsuit alleging that Sloan Valve Company sold defective pressurized flushing mechanisms that could cause toilets to explode.  People who owned or previously owned toilets equipped with the Flushmate system will receive a cash payment as a result of the settlement.  If approved, the settlement will resolve five federal class action lawsuits.  The Flushmate is also the subject of a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall that provided free repair kits to owners who asked for them.

According to the original complaint filed in 2012, the Series 503 Flushmate III Pressure-Assist Flushing System by Sloan used a pressurized tank made of two plastic halves that could separate under pressure, causing leaks, and in some situations, explosions.  The pressurized tank can explode with enough force that it shatters the porcelain tank, according to the settlement document.  The CPSC says 304 of the Flushmate units made between 1997 and 2008 have exploded during use, injuring 14 people.  2,330,600 Flushmate systems, including those installed in American Standard, Kohler and other brands of toilets, are subject to the CPSC’s recall.  The company became aware of the Flushmate System defect as early as June 2000, but continued to sell the toilet without disclosing the defect or risk, the class action lawsuit says.

Get legal news for consumers delivered into your email inbox by subscribing with the form on the right side of the screen.

One of the victims, who was 26 when his toilet exploded in 2011, said his Flushmate system “exploded and severely cut my back,” according to the CPSC website.   He went on to say “Had it been my grandmother our one of my nieces and nephews who happened to use the toilet that day, the consequences could have been severe. I required dozens of stitches for an extremely deep wound because of the exploding porcelain.”

“The Flushmate System uses a vessel that traps air, and as the vessel fills with water, it uses the water supply line pressure to compress the trapped air inside. The compressed air forces the water into the toilet bowl, and instead of the ‘pulling’ or siphon action of a gravity unit, the pressure-assist unit ‘pushes’ waste out,” the class action lawsuit explains.

According to the settlement agreement, “The cash payments available under the settlement will fairly and substantially reimburse Settlement Class Members for expenses related to the repair or replacement of their Flushmate toilets.”  Members of the class include anyone who owned a Flushmate system or a Flushmate toilet in the U.S. between October 14, 1997 and June 30, 2009.  To be eligible for a cash payment, owner must also have installed a repair kit as part of the CPSC recall, have installed a replacement toilet, and/or sustained property damage caused by the Flushmate system.  Owners should receive $50 for one Flushmate toilet, and an additional $25 for other Flushmate toilets installed in their home.  Owners whose toilet fixtures were shattered or suffered other property damage from a Flushmate system will be eligible to be reimbursed for expenses, provided they can provide receipts and have not already been reimbursed by another source.  Directions on how to file a claim for reimbursement are not yet available.

Posted in Blog, Class Actions

Comments are closed.

News Categories

Read about other Top Jury Verdicts

Why You Might Need an Attorney This Summer If You Travel

Why You Might Need an Attorney This Summer If You Travel

Travel is not a new notion to us; it can be traced back to wealthy Greeks and Romans who left for leisure to their summe[Read More...]
Walgreens Agrees to a $105 Million Shareholders Settlement

Walgreens Agrees to a $105 Million Shareholders Settlement

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) agreed to pay $105 million to settle a long-running class-action lawsuit accus[Read More...]
A Military Couple Reaches a $15 Million Settlement With Tripler Hospital Over Botched Delivery

A Military Couple Reaches a $15 Million Settlement With Tripler Hospital Over Botched Delivery

A federal judge in Hawaii has approved a $15 million settlement for an Army couple whose son suffered brain damage from lack [Read More...]
Defrauded College Students Will Have $6 Billion Forgiven in a New Settlement

Defrauded College Students Will Have $6 Billion Forgiven in a New Settlement

The Biden administration has agreed to cancel $6 billion in student loans for about 200,000 former students who say they were[Read More...]
An Iowa City Settles Lawsuit Over a Deadly Police Shooting For $5 Million

An Iowa City Settles Lawsuit Over a Deadly Police Shooting For $5 Million

Burlington, Iowa, has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the mother of a man who was shot[Read More...]

#LegalNews

@@TheNTLtop100

Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Attorney information and content provided on this website is provided for the benefit of members of The National Trial Lawyers and as a public service by Legal Associations Management, Inc. The website and all data are the property of Legal Associations Management, Inc. Data, including without limitation attorney information and content, on the site may not be mined, sold, or used commercially for any purpose without the explicit written consent of Legal Associations Management, Inc. This site may not be accessed by any automated program for extracting data for any use. By accessing and using the site you agree that you will not develop, support or use software, devices, scripts, robots, or any other means or processes (including crawlers, browser plug-ins and add-ons, or any other technology) to scrape data or otherwise copy profiles and other data. Unauthorized use or attempted unauthorized use of this system may subject you to both civil and criminal penalties.