Canadians could cash in on $9.4 million parking heater class-action settlement
If you have a vehicle with a parking heater, you may be able to claim part of a massive settlement.
Law firms Foreman & Company, CFM Lawyer LLP, and Belleau LapointeĀ announced on Thursday that they have reached a proposed national settlement of $9.4 millionĀ with the Espar Defendants in parking heater class actions.
Parking heaters are used in a variety of commercial vehicles to warm the engine and cabin instead of idling the vehicle.
Kekyalyaynen/Shutterstock
The class actions allege that Webasto and Espar, manufacturers and sellers of parking heaters, conspired to unlawfully hike prices.
“As a result, it is alleged that Class Members paid a falsely inflated price for their Parking Heaters,” reads a notice of the class action on Foreman & Company.
The law firms note that the settlement isn’t an admission of liability, fault, or wrongdoing but is a compromise of disputed claims.
“Espar maintains that it committed no wrong but settled to avoid the uncertainty and burden of protracted litigation,” they explained.
Who’s eligible for this proposed settlement?
According to the law firms, Canadians who have purchased a parking heater or bought, leased, or sub-leased a commercial vehicle containing a parking heater between September 13, 2001, and December 31, 2012, are eligible for the proposed settlement.
The lawsuit defines a parking heater as the parking heater itself, including both air and water/coolant parking heaters, accessories and parts sold for use with parking heaters, packages containing parking heaters, and accessories or parts for parking heaters.
Besides the settlement amount, Espar has agreed to cooperate with plaintiffs who are pursuing their ongoing claims against the non-settling defendants.
The settlement still needs to be approved by courts in Ontario and Quebec before it becomes effective. Therefore, it won’t be distributed to class members at this time, say the law firms.
A process for the payment of claims to eligible Canadians will be established in the future, subject to court approval, according to the law firms.
Check out these class actions to see if you can claim some cash.