SANTA ANA – A Florida consumer has filed a class-action lawsuit against a San Juan Capistrano company alleging that it manufactured defective toilet fill valves and sold them to consumers.
Barbara Castillo filed a complaint on behalf of all others similarly situated on Sept. 19 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division against Fluidmaster Inc. citing violation of the state's Consumers Legal Remedies Act and other counts.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that her apartment was flooded as a result of a defective toilet fill valve manufactured by the defendant. The plaintiff holds Fluidmaster Inc. responsible because the defendant allegedly knew that using acetal plastic on the fill values would corrode after being exposed to chlorine, but still used it on its products. The suit also states that the defendant changed the plastic used in the fill values but never notified the plaintiff that a remediated product was available.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks injunctive relief, order the defendant to replace all defective fill valves, damages, all legal fees and any other relief as the court deems just. She is represented by Christopher R. Pitoun of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP in Pasadena; Anthony D. Shapiro and Jeniphr Breckenridge of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP in Seattle, Washington; and Simon Bahne Paris, Patrick Howard and Charles J. Kocher of Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky PC in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division Case number 8:16-cv-01743-AG-KES