Whirlpool Must Face Claims Alleging Refrigerators Don’t Cool

Whirlpool Corp. must continue defending against most claims in a proposed class suit alleging it sold defective French door refrigerators.

Consumer fraud claims and most warranty claims may proceed, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey said.

Justin DeFillippo and others allege Whirlpool sold French door bottom mount appliances under the Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and Maytag brand names, with a defect in the freezer evaporator that impeded the appliances’ cooling ability.

Whirlpool allegedly knew about the defect as early as 2014, when it provided technical service pointers to its dealers, advising them how to fix the problem. The ...