The lawsuit alleged that Kane Furniture Corporation (a) sold its customers defective bonded leather furniture that peels, flakes, and
deteriorates, (b) attempted to repair defective bonded leather furniture with defective replacement bonded leather parts, (c) failed to honor
its warranties on its sale of defective bonded leather furniture, (d) failed to properly disclose that the bonded leather furniture was not
genuine leather, and (e) failed to comply with the terms of its sales contracts with its customers.
These allegations have not yet been proven, they are adamantly denied by Kane, and Kane admits no wrongdoing in relation to
this settlement.
Kane Furniture Corporation also has agreed to provide non-monetary benefits as follows:
1. Kane Furniture Corporation will add the disclaimer “Terms and conditions apply” to any advertisements that state “Free Lifetime
Guarantee,” “Free Lifetime Warranty,” or “Guaranteed for Life.”
2. Kane Furniture Corporation will add the disclaimer “Limited” to the phrase “Lifetime Guarantee” and conspicuously display the
disclaimer on both the face of its sales orders and on the reverse side to the terms and conditions of Kane’s Lifetime Warranty.
3. Kane Furniture Corporation will specifically disclaim any limitations to any implied warranties of merchantability and fitness, in
writing and conspicuously displayed on any contracts or sales receipts.
4. Kane Furniture Corporation will include leather and leather products in its disclaimer stating that its lifetime guarantee does not apply
to fabric.
Who’s Eligible
Class Members of the Kane Furniture settlement include: “All persons who purchased Bonded Leather Furniture (‘Bonded Leather’) from Kane Furniture Corporation on or after July 27, 2010, and who have not already received an exchange, credit or refund of their Bonded Leather from Kane Furniture Corporation, or who do not otherwise opt out of this class action settlement.”
NOTE: Only the original purchaser of the bonded leather furniture products is eligible for benefits from the Kane Furniture class action settlement.
Potential Award
Under the terms of the bonded leather furniture settlement, Kane Furniture will offer compensation to claimants in the form of a cash payment or a voucher. Class Members who elect to submit a Claim Form are eligible for Class 1 benefits. Class Members who do not submit a Claim Form are eligible for Class 2 benefits.
Class 1: Provides benefits to Class Members who formally complained to Kane about any cracking, peeling or flaking of the bonded leather furniture. The benefits they are eligible to receive depends on when they made their formal complaint:
- Within one year of the date of purchase: Class Members will be eligible to receive either a full cash refund or a 100 percent in-store credit for the full price of the piece of furniture and any payments made to Kane for repairs.
- Within one to two years of the date of purchase: Class Members will be eligible to receive either a 50 percent cash refund or a 100 percent in-store credit for the purchase price of the furniture and any payments made to Kane for repairs.
- More than two years of the date of purchase: Class Members who did not formally complain to Kane Furniture within two years of the date they purchased their furniture will automatically be covered by Class 2 and do not need to submit a Claim Form.
Class 2: Provides benefits to Class Members who do not submit a Claim Form. An in-store voucher will make up 60 percent of the compensation and the remaining 40 percent will be paid in cash. Class 2 benefits depend on the date the bonded leather furniture was purchased from Kane Furniture:
- July 27, 2010 – Dec. 31, 2010: Class Members who purchased their furniture during this timeperiod will receive a return of 5 percent of the original purchase price.
- Jan. 1, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2011: Class Members who purchased their furniture during this timeframe will receive a return of 7 percent of the original purchase price.
- Jan. 1, 2012 – Dec. 31, 2012: Class Members who purchased their furniture during this timeframe will receive a return of 10 percent of the original purchase price.
- Jan. 1, 2013 – Dec. 31, 2013: Class Members who purchased their furniture during this timeframe will receive a return of 12.5 percent of the original purchase price.
- Jan. 1, 2014 – Dec. 31, 2014: Class Members who purchased their furniture during this timeframe will receive a return of 15 percent of the original purchase price.
- Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 31, 2015: Class Members who purchased their furniture during this timeframe will receive a return of 25 percent of the original purchase price.
- Jan. 1, 2016 – Dec. 31, 2016: Class Members who purchased their furniture during this timeframe will receive a return of 100 percent of the original purchase price.
NOTE: To receive benefits, Class Members who are still in possession of the furniture must make arrangements to return the bonded leather furniture to Kane Furniture. Class Members who are no longer in possession of the bonded leather furniture and who have certified as such under penalty of perjury do not need to make arrangements to return the furniture.
Proof of Purchase
N/A. Claimants must attest under the penalty of perjury that they complained to Kane Furniture Corp. about the peeling, cracking or flaking of the bonded leather furniture within two years of the date of purchase.
Claim Form Deadline
4/4/2017
NOTE: A PDF version of the Claim Form can be found at the link above by clicking on “Notice & Claim Form” tab located on left side of the webpage.
Case Name
Cliff Brown, et al. v. Kane Furniture Corporation, Case No. 15-CA-006875, in the Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, Hillsborough County, Florida
Final Hearing
5/1/2017
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
Kane Furniture Corporation Settlement Administrator
c/o A.B. Data Ltd.
P.O. Box 170800
Milwaukee, WI 53217
1-877-266-4060
[email protected]
Class Counsel
J. Daniel Clark
CLARK & MARTINO PA
Defense Counsel
Leonard S. Englander
ENGLANDER FISCHER
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