Kenmore and Frigidaire Dryers

October 2014: This case was voluntarily dismissed When a complaint is dismissed with prejudice, it cannot be refiled. pursuant to a settlement agreement, the terms of which have not been disclosed.

February 2014: A federal judge decided that a lawsuit filed against Sears and Electrolux over their marketing of Kenmore and Frigidaire clothes dryers could not proceed as a class action. The complaint, which was originally filed in 2009, alleged, among other things, that the companies marketed the dryers as having a “stainless steel” drum that can protect clothes from rust stains when, according to the complaint, the drum’s front was actually made of mild steel, which is more susceptible to corrosion and chipping and which can, and did, damage clothing. The federal judge presiding over the case denied class certification because the named plaintiff did not show that the alleged misrepresentations were typical of what all potential class members heard or read. Rather, his allegations were largely based on his own personal experience with a salesperson at a local Sear’s store. (Murray v. Sears, Roebuck and Co., et al., Case No. 09-cv-05744, N.D. CA)