Class Action Lawsuit Against Dometic Dismissed

Swedish RV cooler and refrigerator brand Dometic announced on July 24, that the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed in its entirety a consolidated class action lawsuit against the company. The Court for the Southern District of Florida found that plaintiffs’ allegations of a common defect were not susceptible to class wide treatment. 

Dometic fridges hook up to an RV’s gas absorption, and the brand also makes electric-powered coolers for overland and vanlife applications. The lawsuit against Dometic alleged that certain refrigerators corrode, leak gas, and pose a fire risk.

The 18 individuals that led the charge against the Swedish company were not suing for damage to property, etc., but for paying a “premium price that they otherwise would not have paid” had they known about the defect. Models named in the lawsuit range from $500 to more than $4,000 and are typically bought through RV dealers and makers.

“I am pleased to see the ruling to dismiss the class action lawsuit. We have all along remained firm in the position that the allegations in the consolidated case were without merit,” said Juan Vargues, President and CEO of Dometic.

This marks the second time that a court has rejected plaintiffs’ attempt to assert class-wide allegations related to Dometic gas-absorption refrigerators. In 2017, a similar putative class action was dismissed because the plaintiffs had failed to establish the existence of the alleged defect.