Update: Keurig to pay $950K to settle coffee maker defect lawsuit

Update:

• Keurig Green Mountain Inc. has agreed to a $950,000 settlement and a one-year warranty extension to resolve claims that its coffee makers became unusable after descaling.
• The defect caused the machines to overheat and trigger a shutdown when the water reservoir emptied without warning during descaling.
• Class members who experienced the issue and did not receive a remedy under the original warranty can claim up to $250 from the settlement fund.
• The Keurig class action settlement agreement also includes a provision for any leftover funds to be donated to a cy pres recipient chosen by the class counsel and Keurig.
• The amended settlement, filed after a court hearing, extends the claim deadline for eligible users to Sept. 30, 2027.

Keurig, Bed Bath and Beyond class action overview:

• Who: A coffee drinker is suing Keurig and Bed Bath and Beyond.
• Why: The plaintiff says Keurig makes defective coffee makers, and Bed Bath and Beyond sells them.
• Where: The lawsuit was filed in a New York federal court. 

(Sept. 07, 2022)

Keurig and Bed Bath & Beyond sell defective Keurig coffee makers and liquid descaling solution, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Doreen Cahill filed the class action complaint against Keurig Green Mountain Inc. and Bed Bath & Beyond Sept. 1 in a New York federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws. 

The lawsuit refers to the Keurig K-Supreme, K-Supreme Plus, and K-Supreme SMART Single Serve Coffee Makers and the company’s liquid descaling solution. 

Cahill says all of the coffee makers suffer from identical defects in design.

She says that if consumers follow the process according to the instructions provided by Keurig on its descaling solution, the process “completely disables” the coffee makers. 

“The defect makes it so the Coffee Makers cannot be used or properly maintained and renders them unsuited for their principal and intended purpose,” she says. 

Keurig coffee makers have multiple complaints online

The problem occurs because the coffee makers allow the water reservoir to empty completely during the descaling process without stopping to tell the user to add more water, causing them to overheat, the lawsuit says.

The only way for the Coffee Makers to be brought back to life is to disassemble them and use a paperclip to depress a miniscule reset button in the center of the thermal switch, it states.

“Keurig has known or should have known about the defect in the descaling process and the inadequate instructions provided on its website and the Descaling Solution bottle since the release of the original K-Supreme Coffee Maker,” Cahill says.

She adds that each of the coffee makers’ webpages are rife with one and two-star reviews from around the country pointing out the alleged problems caused by following Keurig’s descaling instructions.

Cahill is looking to represent anyone in the United States who purchased the coffee makers or the descaling solution, plus New York subclasses. She is suing for breach of warranty, unjust enrichment, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and violation of New York business laws. 

She is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

In August, Keurig paid $10 million as part of a class action settlement to resolve claims it misled consumers about its K-Cups being recyclable, and consumers do not need proof of purchase to make a claim.

Do you have a Keurig coffee maker? Let us know your experience in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Philip L. Fraietta and Brittany S. Scott of Bursor & Fisher, P.A. 

The Keurig class action lawsuit is Doreen Cahill v. Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. et al., Case No. 7:22-cv-07507 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

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