PHILADELPHIA – A class action lawsuit filed June 30 against Samsung in the U.S. DistrictCourt for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania centers on an alleged defect that attorneys believe has affected hundreds of thousands of people nationwide.

“This concerns a defective drain pump (that) causes leaksand that can explode, causing damages,” Greg Coleman, founder and managingpartner of Greg Coleman Law PC, told the PennsylvaniaRecord.

The lawsuit, filed by lead plaintiff Rose Wagner ofDowningtown, alleges breach of implied warranty, design defect, failure towarn, negligence and product liability. Wagner alleged in her complaint thatSamsung knew the washing machines it manufactured were defective, but that thecompany sold them to customers anyway.

Wagner said a washing machine she bought in 2015 causedroughly $25,000 of damage to her home, stemming from a leak that rendered the machine unusable without substantial repairs, includingreplacement of the pump and realignment. Wagner alleges the damage alsoprevented her washing machine from spinning and draining water.

Coleman said Wagner’s is not the only case of its kind. Greg ColemanLaw and Berger & Montague are two of three firms representing the class inthe Wagner lawsuit.

“There are some other cases, but no way to tell if they willbe consolidated at this point,” Coleman said.

Michael Fantini, of Berger & Montague, said his firm is aware of one other lawsuit filedagainst Samsung earlier this year in connection with allegations of damagecaused by exploding washing machines, but he could not say whether that caseand any others like it will be consolidated with the Wagner class action.

“We make similar allegations of fact,” Fantini told thePennsylvania Record. “It may be similar in nature to the others.”

According to Wagner’s lawsuit, Samsung started receivingcomplaints in 2011 that some models of its top-loading washing machines hadserious defects, but the company did not stop selling the machines or issue arecall.

“Samsung received high numbers of consumer complaintsrelated to models within its WA400 and WA500-series washing machines forproblems with their spin cycles, high vibrations, breaking springs and even ‘explosions’related to the washing machines’ spin cycles,” the lawsuit said.

The plaintiffs in the Wagner class action allege that thedesign of the machines is defective because the position and location of thedrain pump causes high-stress concentrations that result in fracturing andseparation of the drain pump assembly’s motor housing from its mounting base.The suit also alleges that Samsung made errors in the manufacturing process orworkmanship.

The complaint alleges that the machines’ highly touteddigital inverter motor, which allows the machines to spin at high speeds, andthe machines’ wash motor parts “are simply too powerful for the materialsselected for use in the rest of thewashing machines,” including the pump assembly.

The complaint alleges that thedefect in the machines can cause significant water leakage and washing machineexplosions, potentially resulting in property damage and personal injury.

“We believe that this has affected a large number of peopleacross the country,” Fantini said.