DuraPro Toilet Connector Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Interline

Four plaintiffs are filing a toilet connector class action lawsuit against Interline Brands, Inc. on behalf of themselves and a class of individuals who have suffered property damages because of faulty connectors on their toilets.

Plaintiffs, Jacquelyn D. Ajose, Kathy Smith, Sharon Kurtz and Patricia Evett are suing Interline Brands, claiming the company has been distributing a faulty toilet connector.

They claim that the connector, when it fails, can pose a substantial risk of failure by permitting the unrestricted flow of water, causing catastrophic water damage to property.

According to this toilet connector class action lawsuit, Interline distributes DuraPro brand toilet connectors in the United States. These DuraPro connectors are manufactured in China and allegedly contain defects.

The DuraPro toilet connectors have plastic coupling nuts that Interline even admits in a 2007 memo are faulty.

Interline asked the supplier in November 2007 to redesign the connector to make the plastic coupling nuts more robust. The Chinese supplier responded, noting the new design of their toilet connectors, but confirmed that the problems lie with the old inventory connectors.

This toilet connector class action lawsuit claims that Interline “had full knowledge of the defective condition of the Toilet Connectors and rather than disclose, warn, or recall these defective Toilet Connectors, Interline has ignored this mounting problem, and exposed Plaintiffs and the putative Classes to a substantial risk of significant property damage.”

In 2014, plaintiff Jacquelyn D. Ajose of Pennsylvania found the toilet connector of her third floor bathroom toilet had failed and allowed water to run unabated throughout her home.

She has suffered out-of-pocket damages including, but not limited to, payment of her property insurance deductible.

A second plaintiff, Kathy Smith of Colorado, experienced a water leak from a toilet in her home in 2014. The plastic nut coupling of her DuraPro toilet connector had cracked and water ran freely throughout her home. It caused significant destruction, including at least $10,000 in property damage.

Another plaintiff in this toilet connector class action lawsuit, Texas resident Sharon Kurtz, claims that the DuraPro toilet connector fractured and water ran throughout her home.

This damaged hardwood floors, baseboards and beds. She suffered out-of-pocket damages including, but not limited to, her $5,000 home insurance deductible.

The last named plaintiff, Patricia Evett of Arizona, claims that because of a failed DuraPro toilet connector, she was forced to tear out the walls, remove the flooring and discard the furniture in three of the rooms in her home.

The plaintiffs claim in this toilet connector class action lawsuit, that Interline began buying substandard toilet connectors from China around 2002. Interline claims that they did not do any testing on the connectors prior to distributing them in the United States.

The plaintiffs in this toilet connector class action lawsuit are bringing claims of design defect and failure to warn, violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, violation of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, unjust enrichment, violation of Magnuson-Moss Consumer Products Warranties Act and Breach of Implied Warranty of Merchantability.

The Toilet Connector Class Action Lawsuit is Jacquelyn D. Ajose, et al. v. Interline Brands, Inc., Case No. 14-CV-1707 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

UPDATE: On April 24, 2018, Interline Brands Inc. agreed to pay $16.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging the company’s DuraPro Toilet Connectors have a defective part that can lead to flooding, causing damage to homes.