Garmin Forerunner Sport Watch is Defective, Class Action Lawsuit Says

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A Utah couple alleges in a new class action lawsuit that a holiday gift for the husband did not meet the advertised quality they had been expecting due to a design defect in the Garmin Forerunner sport watch.

Plaintiff Andrea Katz alleges in the class action lawsuit that she purchased the Garmin Forerunner 610 for her husband, Joel, who regularly competes in distance races. However, while the company advertised that the watch was “not just a pretty face… [but] stands up to rain [and] sweat,” the plastic wristband fell apart as the two metal pins attaching it to the rest of the watch dislodged. Spokespeople for the company also claimed that the device could be used to help buyers “be the best [they] can be in preparation for a marathon,” which as the exact activity Joel Katz was engaged in, according to the class action lawsuit.

This allegedly occurred on three separate occasions, with company employees replacing the band of the Garmin Forerunner 610 twice before recommending that Mr. Katz buy a velcro wristband at his own expense to ameliorate the issue. He stopped using the Garmin watch because while the plastic watchband was designed to resist sweat, the velcro replacement retained sweat and eventually became too smelly for consistent use, the class action lawsuit explains.

If certified, the couple would lead a putative class of potentially thousands of customers who bought the allegedly defective Garmin Forerunner sport watch.

The class action lawsuit is seeking a decision on a number of common questions including whether or not the company falsely advertised the Garmin sport watch as able to withstand significant aerobic activity while the watchbands were unable to meet that goal. Further, the Katzes allege that Garmin was aware of the design defect and made no attempt to either fix the problem in production or come up with a satisfactory remedy for customers like the couple.

The Katzes are represented by class action attorneys Mark F. James of Hatch James & Dodge PC and Richard D. Heideman, Noel J. Nudelman and Tracy Reichman Kalik of Heiderman Nudelman & Kalik PC.

The Garmin Forerunner Sport Watch Class Action Lawsuit is Andrea Katz, et al. v. Garmin Ltd., et al., Case No. 14-cv-00165, U.S. District Court, District of Utah.

UPDATE: The Garmin Forerunner Sport Watch Class Action Settlement is now open! Click here to file a Claim!

UPDATE 2: On Jan. 27, 2017, Top Class Actions viewers who filed a valid claim for the Garmin Forerunner class action settlement began receiving checks worth as much as $58.36 or a replacement sport watch.