Why You May Be Owed Money If You Own One Of These Fridges

If your French-door refrigerator has been acting more like an ice sculptor than a cooler, you could be in line for cash. A class-action deal stemming from Paperno v. Whirlpool covers certain Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and Maytag models built between 2012 and 2019. Owners can be reimbursed up to $300 for past frost-clog repairs.

The suit claims excess frost on the evaporator doesn't allow the unit to cool, leading to spoiled food, and forcing pricey fixes. In settling, Whirlpool admits no fault but has agreed to an undisclosed payout pool. Reimbursements scale with age: units one to three years old qualify for the full $300 or a 75% replacement refund, with smaller tiers for older appliances.

But the clock is melting fast: claims on past issues must be submitted to the administrator by June 18, 2025. Eligibility starts with a quick serial number search on the settlement site.

To file, visit CoolingSettlement.com, plug in your model and serial numbers, then upload repair invoices. If your KitchenAid, Whirlpool, or Maytag fridge is merely running warm, an expert's checklist of common cooling fixes might save you a service call before you claim. For confirmed frost repairs done within one to three years of manufacture, payouts top out at $300 or 75% of a replacement's price. The next tiers drop to $225/45% for four- to six-year-old units, and $150 for those that are seven to eight years old. Frost problems occurring after January 31, 2025 remain covered, so long as you file within 90 days of service and within eight years of the fridge's purchase or delivery date. 

Feeling burned and ready to buy new? Before dropping a significant amount of money, skim the list of refrigerator brands to avoid so you don't swap one headache for another. The rundown flags models with chronic compressor failures and patchy after-sales support, then nudges shoppers toward sturdier, repair-friendly alternatives vetted by appliance pros. That quick detour could spare you another frosty fiasco while you wait for this settlement cash to land.