TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – Class action lawyers are targeting Samsung over allegations the knobs that control burners on its electric ranges are prone to starting on their own.
Marilyn Delahoy filed suit June 17 in New Jersey federal court says a defect causes the knobs to rotate when they are slightly touched, turning the burners on and creating a risk of fire and personal injury.
“The defective condition of the Ranges is the result of the low detent (catch that prevents motion until released) force and tiny distance the burner control knobs need to travel to be turned to the ‘on’ position, which is inadequate to prevent unintentional activation,” the suit says.
“In other words, the ease with which the knobs can be pushed in and rotated without resistance fails to prevent the cooktop from being turned on inadvertently.
“Further, the control knobs are placed on the Ranges without the necessary guards to prevent such unintentional activation.”
The suit claims Samsung has known about this defect since at least 2014 and that it has continued to sell its products despite incident reports with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Lawyers at Feldman Shepherd in Philadelphia and Morgan & Morgan in San Francisco filed the case.