Mouse Repeller Fraud Suit Cleared for Trial

Photos helped to convince a judge that a consumer fraud class action over Bell + Howell ultrasonic mouse repellers should go to trial.

Joanne Hart and Sandra Bueno sued BHH, LLC, which does business as Bell + Howell, saying the products are ineffective.

Ultrasonic pest repellers are small electronic devices that emit high-frequency sounds, inaudible to humans but intolerable to pests. They plug into wall electrical outlets.

Bell + Howell said the devices work in certain circumstances. The company cited disclaimers that the devices lose effectiveness in the presence of furniture, carpeting, and other household objects because ultrasonic signals lose ...