LG Refrigerator Class Action: Linear Compressor Failures, the 2020 Settlement, and Newer Claims

Many LG French door and side-by-side refrigerators use a linear compressor, a design LG marketed as quieter and more efficient than a standard reciprocating compressor. The lawsuits say these compressors fail early, sometimes within months or a few years, so the refrigerator and freezer stop cooling and food spoils. Owners also report that replacement compressors fail again, and that repairs take weeks.

The Bentley settlement (2014 to 2017 models)

Bentley, et al. v. LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc., No. 2:19-cv-13554 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, combined several cases, including one brought by Edward and Ann Marie Stangl. The plaintiffs said the compressors caused "No-Cooling Events" and that LG's warranty and repair service fell short. LG denied the claims but settled. The court granted preliminary approval on September 16, 2020.

Consumer Reports said the settlement covered about 1.6 million refrigerators across 31 models manufactured from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2017. Its 2019 member survey found compressor problems in 8 percent of LG French door refrigerators, compared with 3 percent across all refrigerators.

The 2024 federal suit over post-2018 refrigerators

In spring 2024, news outlets reported a new federal lawsuit brought by Betsy Anderson and more than 100 other LG and Kenmore refrigerator owners, represented by attorney Azar Mouzari. It targets refrigerators with linear compressors bought since 2018, the years after the Bentley settlement's coverage ended, and asks for refunds and 20-year warranties on the compressors. Plaintiffs' counsel called it "a nationwide issue." The reported suit covers Kenmore refrigerators with linear compressors as well as LG-branded models, so Kenmore owners should check whether their fridge uses one. We could not confirm the current status of that suit.

Kurant v. LG (model LRFS28XBS)

On November 3, 2025, Mark Kurant filed a proposed class action against LG Electronics U.S.A. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York (No. 1:25-cv-01549), where it is assigned to Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. He claims LG sold the LRFS28XBS French door refrigerator with linear compressors prone to sudden, permanent failure and knew about the problem from years of customer and repair complaints. The suit brings state consumer protection and warranty claims for New York buyers. These are allegations, and LG disputes them.

The Bentley settlement is finished. Claims closed on January 11, 2021, and the final approval hearing was held in December 2020. If you owned a 2014 to 2017 model and did nothing, you are bound by that settlement's release for the claims it covered, though the five-year extended warranty applied to covered models automatically.

For newer refrigerators, the fight has moved in two directions:

• New court cases like Kurant, which target specific newer models and argue LG kept selling a design it knew was failing.
• Mass arbitration, where attorneys file many individual arbitration demands for owners of refrigerators bought after 2018, because LG's warranty requires arbitration.

LG's limited warranty states that disputes must be resolved by binding individual arbitration and that class actions and jury trials are not permitted, unless the buyer opts out within 30 calendar days of the first purchase. That arbitration clause is a major obstacle for any new class action, since LG can ask a court to send individual claims to arbitration.

No court has found LG's linear compressors defective, and there is no open LG refrigerator settlement as of September 2026. If a settlement is reached in Kurant or another case, it will be announced through a court-approved notice, and claims will be filed only on an official settlement website. Be wary of emails or ads asking for a fee to register for an LG settlement.

The strongest claims involve a documented compressor failure, especially more than one, with repair invoices and receipts for spoiled food. You probably do not have a defect claim if the cooling problem came from a clogged vent, a bad door seal, a failed fan, or ice buildup that a technician fixed without a sealed system repair.

Also check whether your fridge is still under warranty. Read the compressor and sealed system terms in your warranty booklet, since a covered repair may be the fastest fix.

If you bought your LG refrigerator after the Bentley class period and did not opt out, your claim will likely run through the process in LG's limited warranty. It is more manageable than it sounds, and it can be cheaper for you than court.

1. Send a written notice of dispute. LG's terms require you to write to LG at least 30 days before starting arbitration. The letter goes to LG Electronics, USA, Inc., Attn: Legal Department, Arbitration, 111 Sylvan Ave, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. It must include your name, address, and phone number, identify the refrigerator, and describe the problem and what you want, for example a refund, a replacement, or repair costs plus spoiled food.
2. Try to resolve it for 30 days. The terms call for good faith discussions during that window. Keep a record of every offer.
3. File a demand with the American Arbitration Association. If the dispute is not resolved, you can file an arbitration demand under the AAA's Consumer Arbitration Rules before a single arbitrator.
4. Fees. LG's terms say you do not pay a fee to begin, and LG pays the AAA filing, administration, and arbitrator fees for claims of $25,000 or less.
5. Hearing. Smaller claims can often be decided on documents alone or by phone. Any in-person hearing is held in the federal judicial district where you live, unless you agree otherwise.

LG's terms also let either side take an individual case to small claims court instead of arbitration, which for a single refrigerator is often the simplest option.

When many owners file individual arbitrations at once, it is called mass arbitration. Because LG agreed to pay the arbitration fees, a large number of filings can create real pressure to settle. Law firms have been gathering owners of post-2018 LG refrigerators for this kind of effort. If you join one, you still have your own individual case; read the engagement agreement closely.

For how an arbitration clause interacts with class actions in general, see our guide to the rights of a class member.

The Bentley settlement is the best guide to what these claims have been worth. According to Consumer Reports and the plaintiffs' lawyers, class members whose refrigerator stopped cooling within five years of purchase could claim:

• $50 to $450 with a sworn claim form and no documents.
• With documents, up to $1,000 for unsuccessful repairs, up to $1,000 for delayed repairs, up to $3,500 for property loss such as spoiled food or medicine, or up to $650 toward a replacement refrigerator.
• A warranty extension to five years from purchase, including labor for cooling repairs.

With paperwork, the Bentley settlement paid up to $3,500 for property losses, which is why saving repair invoices and spoiled food receipts matters.

In arbitration, LG's warranty says it will pay the AAA filing fees for claims of $25,000 or less, and will pay a winning consumer's reasonable attorneys' fees. That changes the math for individual claims. Any future class settlement over newer models could look different, and nothing here predicts a result. See whether you need proof of purchase.

Most of these cases rest on warranty law and state consumer protection statutes.

• Express warranty: LG's written warranty promises repairs for covered defects. Repeated failed repairs can support a breach claim.
• Implied warranty of merchantability: a refrigerator must be fit for its ordinary purpose, which is keeping food cold.
• Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act: the federal law lets consumers sue for breach of written and implied warranties and lets a court award attorneys' fees to a consumer who wins. Our Magnuson-Moss guide explains it.
• State consumer protection laws: claims that LG concealed a known defect, such as New York General Business Law claims in Kurant.

The class action waiver in LG's arbitration terms is the main defense. Courts generally enforce these clauses under the Federal Arbitration Act, which is why many owners' claims now go to arbitration one at a time.

• Arbitration opt-out: 30 calendar days from the first consumer's purchase, by emailing optout@lge.com with the subject "Arbitration Opt Out" or calling 1-800-980-2973, according to LG's warranty terms. For most owners, this window has passed.
• Bentley settlement: claims closed January 11, 2021.
• Warranty claims: report failures while the warranty period runs, and keep proof you did.
• Legal claims: warranty claims usually have a statute of limitations of four years from delivery under the Uniform Commercial Code as adopted in most states, and consumer protection claims vary by state.

1. Save your food first, then photograph what spoiled and keep receipts.
2. Get the diagnosis in writing. Ask the technician to note if the compressor or sealed system failed.
3. File a warranty claim with LG and record every case number.
4. Keep every invoice, including for a temporary fridge.
5. Read your warranty's dispute section to see whether arbitration applies and what notice LG requires first.
6. Do not sign a release in exchange for a partial refund or gift card until you know your options.

If your LG refrigerator failed more than once or LG refused to fix it, independent attorneys who handle appliance defect cases can review your records. A free case review takes about two minutes. For a similar appliance claim, see the GE washer dryer combo lawsuit.