United Technologies, Carrier Beat HVAC Suit Class Certification

United Technologies Corp. and several subsidiaries, including Carrier Corp., defeated class certification of claims alleging faulty compressors in their HVAC systems cause them to prematurely fail after the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California found too many individual questions.

The plaintiffs allege that Ryconox, a chemical rust inhibitor used in the compressors, reacts with refrigerants to cause a sludge to build up in the system, which can render the unit inoperable.

Individual questions include whether the companies had a legal duty to disclose the alleged defect to all or most members of the proposed classes and whether ...