Wolf Ovens Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Self-Cleaning Defect

Wolf Appliance Inc. has been hit with a second class action over alleged defects in its ovens.

Lead plaintiff Frederick I. Sharp alleges in his class action lawsuit that the blue porcelain interior of the high-end appliances are prone to chipping, cracking, and crazing during regular use.

In addition to ruining the appearance of the ovens, the plaintiff claims that food can be contaminated by chips of the interior porcelain.

Sharp says he purchased an E Series double wall-oven from Wolf in his home state of New York. He claims that after three short years, the oven showed signs of cracking, chipping, and/or crazing after he ran the self-clean function. Although the oven cavity was replaced, alleges the plaintiff, it again cracked after he used the self-cleaning function.

“As a result of the Defect, the Ovens do not satisfy several of the key purposes for which they were purchased, i.e.: (1) cooking food without damaging the Ovens’ interior; (2) self-cleaning the Ovens without causing damage to the oven interior; (3) maintaining the purity of the Ovens’ interiors, including Wolf’s signature aesthetics; and (4) cooking food and self-cleaning the oven without the risk that porcelain flakes or pieces will be dislodged from the oven cavity and expose users to having the porcelain chips blown around and onto food contained in the Ovens,” the Wolf ovens class action lawsuit states.

According to the class action lawsuit, Wolf ovens range from approximately $4,000 to more than $17,000. They include built-in ovens, “dual fuel” and induction ranges, as well as gas ranges. The plaintiff alleges that Wolf knew of the defect that made its oven interiors prone to cracking since 2008, but failed to rectify the problem or warn consumers.

Sharp says that he and other consumers would not have purchased Wolf ovens if they had known the interior was prone to cracking, or they would not have paid as much.

This is not the first class action to hit Wolf over alleged defects in the high-end appliances. Last summer, a Pennsylvania man alleged that Wolf’s signature cobalt blue porcelain interiors were prone to cracking, despite advertising touting the material as extremely durable.

The Wolf ovens class action lawsuit alleges counts of fraudulent concealment, breach of implied warranties, violations of New York General Business Law, and unjust enrichment.

The plaintiff seeks to represent both a New York Class and a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased Wolf ovens containing a porcelain cavity.

Sharp is seeking statutory, compensatory, and punitive damages on behalf of himself and potential Class Members as well as a court order declaring Wolf’s actions improper and deceptive and requiring Wolf to conduct a corrective advertising campaign.

The plaintiff is represented by Mark S. Reich, Vincent Serra and Samuel Rudman of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP.

The Wolf Defective Oven Class Action Lawsuit is Sharp v. Wolf Appliance Inc., Case No. 1:18-cv-01723, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.