Whirlpool Beats Most Claims in Fridge Wiring Defect Class Suit

Whirlpool Corp. convinced a federal judge to dismiss fraud and misrepresentation claims in a proposed class action alleging the company’s refrigerators contain a wiring defect that causes the door to break.

The US District Court for the District of Delaware on March 21 dismissed a variety of state-law consumer protection claims, but allowed certain breach of implied warranty claims to proceed.

More than a dozen consumers sued the appliance maker alleging the wiring defect not only caused the door to break, but also made the ice maker and door control panel useless. They seek to represent a nationwide class as ...