Samsung Class Action Says Televisions Don’t Meet Energy Efficiency Standards

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A proposed consumer class action lawsuit claims that certain Samsung televisions do not meet energy efficiency standards despite being advertised as such.

The 45-page complaint, filed Monday in New York federal court says Samsung advertises several of its television models as being among the most energy-efficient on the market but actually installs firmware to disable these energy-saving features when consumers adjusted the default picture settings.

Plaintiffs Timothy Coghlan, Brad Ellish, Anthony Cali and Natalie Loftus collectively claim that Samsung purposely misrepresented the energy efficiency of its televisions manufactured between 2011 and the present which feature Eco Sensor (automatic brightness control) and or Motion Lighting (motion detection dimming) technology.

In fact, the lawsuit states that Samsung affixes an Energy Star logo on its televisions which indicates to consumers that the TV’s meet program standards for energy efficiency.

Energy Star is a government-backed voluntary program, designed to “identify and promote energy-efficient products in order to reduce energy consumption, improve energy security, and reduce pollution through voluntary labeling of products that meet the highest energy conservation standards.”

While not a regulatory program, participation in Energy Star has a significant impact on the marketability of a product, including Samsung televisions, the lawsuit states.

However, independent testing commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council reveals that Samsung televisions are reportedly designed to be silently disabled or terminated whenever a consumer changes the default picture settings.

What’s worse, the lawsuit contends, is the NRDC discovered that the software in some Samsung televisions is designed so that a single click to adjust contrast, brightness or backlight levels in the menu causes Motion Lighting to be automatically disabled without adequate notification to the user.

The plaintiffs, who each purchased one of more Samsung televisions for household use, claim that Samsung optimized and tailored these energy-saving features to create a reduction in energy usage during testing with the U.S. Department of Energy that is “not reflected under real world conditions.”

These actions, the NRDC estimates doubled the expected energy costs of the Samsung televisions and ultimately lead to consumers not only paying an up-front premium for a so-called energy efficient TV but higher energy usage costs over the product’s life.

The lawsuit is seeking to represent a certified nationwide Class of person who purchased a Samsung television manufactured between 2011 and the present which features Eco Sensor and/or Motion Lighting along with three state-specific subclasses in California, Illinois and New York.

On behalf of themselves and other potential Class Members similarly situated, the named plaintiffs are seeking compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages the court deems proper.

This is not the first time Samsung has been hit with legal action over its energy efficiency claims. In November, another proposed class action lawsuit alleged the appliance and tech conglomerate exploits Department of Energy testing processes which results in consumers paying higher electric bills due to the actual power consumption of Samsung televisions.

The consumers are represented by Scott A. Bursor and Neal J. Deckant of Bursor & Fisher PA; Fred T. Isquith, Thomas H. Burt, and Theo Bell of Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP; and Sergei Lemberg of Lemberg Law LLC.

The Samsung Energy Star Television Class Action Lawsuit is Coghlan, et al. v. Samsung Electronics America Inc., Case No. 7:17-cv-00715, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.