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Class action against 8 lawnmower makers reaches $7.5M settlement

A settlement has been reached in a $7.5 million class action lawsuit against more than half a dozen major lawnmower manufacturers, who allegedly agreed to overstate the amount of horsepower in their mowers to charge consumers higher prices.

Claimants have until May 22, 2019 to file a claim that could be worth $15 to $55 per mower

A settlement has been reached in a $7.5 million class action lawsuit against eight major lawn mower manufacturers. (Shutterstock)
A $7.5 million settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against eight major lawn mower makers that alleges they conspired to make their products sound more powerful in order to justify charging customers more money.
Jonathan Foreman is a partner with Harrison Pensa, the London, Ont. law firm representing the class action. (Harrison Pensa LLP)

The settlement includes hundreds of thousands of mowers under at least 39 brand names, purchased in Canada between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2012 and includes gas-powered walk-behind or riding mowers, labelled at 30 horsepower or less.

The suit alleges Briggs & Stratton, Electrolux, Honda, Husqvarna, John Deere, Kawasaki, Kohler, MTD, Tecumseh and Toro mislabelled their products to show a higher horsepower rating than what was actually contained in the lawn mower.

Jonathan Foreman, a partner with Harrison Pensa, the firm representing the class action told CBC News Monday that it is still not apparent how many people or organizations may be eligible to make a claim. 

"You will have some people like landscaping companies, for example, who would buy multiple mowers," he said. "Then you'll have consumers and homeowners who might buy one and keep it for as long as 10 years."

Indviduals and organizations have until May 22, 2019 to file a claim ranging from $15 to $55 per mower, by filling out an online form on the class action's website

The court has appointed a third party to receive and review potential claims, which could take up to a year to be paid after the claims deadline. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Colin Butler

Reporter

Colin Butler covers the environment, real estate, justice as well as urban and rural affairs for CBC News in London, Ont. He is a veteran journalist with 20 years' experience in print, radio and television in seven Canadian cities. You can email him at colin.butler@cbc.ca.