Logitech Alert Home Security System Class Action Lawsuit Trimmed

A class action lawsuit accusing Logitech of defects in their home security system was trimmed of federal claims.

Lead plaintiff James Anderson alleged in his class action lawsuit that the Logitech Alert system contains a number of defects that the company failed to disclose.

The high definition digital video security system is susceptible to glitches and bugs that render the system useless, alleged the plaintiff, but Logitech refuses to repair or replace the systems.

Anderson sought to represent both a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased the system, as well as an Illinois subclass. Logitech fought the class action lawsuit arguing that a recent Supreme Court decision invalidated claims based on a nationwide Class.

An Illinois federal judge agreed, pointing out that Logitech does not have any significant ties to Illinois.

“In sum it still appears to the Court that a nationwide class action is not significantly different from a mass tort suit involving a multitude of individual claims. The putative nationwide class action claims are stricken,” wrote the judge in his order.

Class action lawsuit claims under the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act were tossed as well, with the judge noting that the plaintiff had not established that he purchased the security system before the company discontinued it in 2012.

“The Complaint further alleges that Logitech made a decision in the last quarter of 2012 to discontinue the manufacture and sale of its Alert System by 2014,” noted the judge’s order. “It concealed this decision from purchasers who invested money in defective systems that would soon be obsolete. On July 14, 2017, Logitech announced publicly its intent to discontinue its system.”

“If [the plaintiff] purchased his system prior to the 2012 decision to discontinue, the decision itself could not be an act of fraud,” pointed out the judge’s order dismissing the ICFA claims, giving the plaintiff leave to amend his complaint.

The judge refused to dismiss the Illinois subclass, however, noting that Logitech had not supported its motion to toss those claims as well.

“Defendant has not supplied the Court with any of the documentation as to the why and wherefore that moved that court to deny class status,” noted the order. “It seems to the Court that it is too premature for the Court to decide class status based on such a flimsy record. The Court therefore denies the Motion to Dismiss the claim of the Plaintiff and that of the Illinois subclass.”

The judge also rejected Logitech’s bid to apply California law to the Logitech class action lawsuit, noting that since the case will proceed for the Illinois subclass at this point in the litigation, Illinois law would likely apply.

Anderson is represented by Gary L. Specks, Laurence D. King, Linda M. Fong and Matthew B. George of Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP.

The Logitech Alert Home Security System Class Action Lawsuit is Anderson v. Logitech Inc., Case No. 1:17-cv-06104, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.