A skid-steer manufacturer is being sued over allegations it misrepresented the abilities of its compact skid-steer loaders in order to induce consumers to purchase the products.
Robert Johnson filed the lawsuit April 23 in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota against Bobcat Company, Doosan Infracore Bobcat Holdings and Doosan Infracore Co, alleging it misrepresented the capacity of fuel tanks in its skid-steer loaders.
The lawsuit said Bobcat engaged in an “unlawful marketing campaign that was calculated,” and meant to gain an advantage over competitors. Johnson alleges due to the false advertising by Bobcat his loader has lost value, business labor costs have gone up and productivity had decreased.
The suit says Johnson purchased the skid-steer loader in order to grow his snow removal business, which has more than 100 customers. He alleges in addition to the fuel tank holding less fuel than advertised, it also wasn't fully coated, which resulted in premature rusting.
Johnson seeks class status for those that purchased Bobcat skid-steer loaders from 2010 to the present. He believes damages will reach more than $75,000 for the class, and seeks court costs. He is represented by attorneys Robert K. Shelquist and Rebecca A. Peterson of Lockridge Grindal Nauen in Minneapolis; Edward Wallace and Amy E. Keller of Wexler Wallace in Chicago; and Patrick Burns of Burns Law Firm, in Minneapolis.
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota case number: 15-cv-02097.