Louisville Slugger Class Action Says Baseball Bats Break Easily

A class action filed on Jan. 23 against Louisville Slugger and Wilson Sporting Goods alleges that the companies’ BBCOR baseball bats are defective.

The complaint asserts that these premium bats, which cost roughly $400, “suffer from a major inherent design defect, which causes the handle of the Bats to rotate independent of the barrel when the Bats are used” to hit a ball, which is “the sole and only purpose for which they are sold.”

In addition, the companies fail to honor warranty claims, according to the class action.

The Louisville Slugger defective baseball bat class action lawsuit claims that the manufacturers knew of the defect from customer complaints.

Several such complaints are cited by the plaintiff, such as “the hand and barrel [separate]…this is our third one..” and another which says that “Less then 30 days the grip is falling apart, and already signs of the barrel starting to turn.”

The class action contends that “Rather than honor its warranty and replace the Bats with non-defective bats of equivalent value, Defendants took the unorthodox approach of creating a post-hoc marketing regime focusing on (and, indeed, promoting) the Defect, as if it were deliberate, as opposed to a Defect.”

The complaint compares advertising from when the bats were first introduced with ads from one year later, noting that the advertising changed to highlight the movement between the handle and barrel of the bat.

The class action shows the changes to the advertising as: “the TRU3 Explosive Power Transfer Technology in Dynamic Socket Connection allows for slight movement between the Prime 916 amplifies those performance characteristics even barrel and handle to further by drastically eliminating sting while allowing for maximum maximize barrel trampoline effect and a true feel on contact eliminate negative vibration.”

However, the complaint argues that there is no actual benefit to the rotation of the bat when it hits a ball, as the bat makers claim. According to the lawsuit, “Rather, the independent rotation of the handle and the barrel decrease the power and detract from the performance of the Bats.”

Plaintiff George Alea of Florida says he purchased a Louisville Slugger Prime 916 BBCOR baseball bat for his son in February 2016. Alea claims that his son noticed the bat rotate when he hit balls, and Alea confirmed it.

The bat was not advertised to do this at the time, according to the complaint. Alea tried to get a replacement bat from the manufacturer, but the company responded that the bat was not defective and no warranty would be provided.

The defective bat lawsuit requests certification of a Class of all residents of Florida, California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York who purchased a bat since Apr. 1, 2015, for its consumer protection claims. In addition, the complaint seeks a Class of all person in the U.S. who bought a bat in that same time frame, for violations of federal warranty law.

The proposed class action is asking for damages and an injunction to stop these violations.

Alea is represented by Michael J. Flannery, Charles J. LaDuca and William H. Anderson of Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca LLP, and Jon Herskowitz of Baron & Herskowitz.

The Louisville Slugger Defective Baseball Bat Class Action Lawsuit is George Alea v. Wilson Sporting Goods Co., et al., Case No. 1:17-cv-00498, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

UPDATE: On May 16, 2017, the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit alleging Louisville Slugger bats break easily due to a defect opposed a motion to dismiss their case claiming it’s too early to make that kind of ruling.

UPDATE 2: October 31, 2017: Plaintiffs in the Louisville Slugger defective product class action lawsuit request court assistance in getting defendant to hand over documents.

UPDATE 3: On Dec. 7, 2018, Wilson Sporting Goods reached a settlement with consumers that will end a class action lawsuit claiming that the company’s Louisville Slugger Prime BBCOR bats are defective.

UPDATE 4: March 2019, the Louisville Slugger baseball bat class action settlement is now open. Click here to file a claim.