Elder v. Reliance Worldwide Corporation

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Update: The Court has scheduled an additional Approval Hearing for December 16, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. EST in Courtroom 2308 of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, located at the U.S. Courthouse, 75 Ted Turner Drive, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

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A proposed Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against Reliance Worldwide Corporation (“RWC”) and Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. (“Home Depot”) relating to RWC’s SharkBite™ Water Heater Connectors with the Part Numbers “U3068FLEX” or “U3088FLEX” (the “Water Heater Connectors”). You are included in this Settlement, and your rights may be affected by this Settlement, if you are a Settlement Class Member, which is defined as “All persons and entities who purchased for direct consumption or use and not for resale, a Water Heater Connector or who own, owned, lease, or leased, a residence or other structure located in the United States during the time that such residence or structure contained a Water Heater Connector.” Under certain conditions, the rubber liner of the Water Heater Connectors could deteriorate over time and cause black specs or flakes to impact faucets and other appliances.

The Settlement establishes a $3.8 million Settlement Fund to be used to pay for (1) Replacement Water Heater Connectors, (2) repair costs for damage from Water Heater Connectors, and (3) time spent dealing with damage from the Water Heater Connectors. The Settlement Fund will also be used to pay for the costs of the settlement notice and administration, and any Court-approved attorneys’ fees and expenses, and Service Awards for the Class Representatives.

Please review our Affected Product tab to see example images of the Water Heater Connectors.

Your Legal Rights and Options in This Lawsuit

Submit a Claim Form	To receive benefits from the Settlement, follow the instructions on the Submit a Claim page and be sure to submit your claim by August 21, 2024. For more detailed information, see FAQ 5 and FAQ 9
Exclude Yourself	Get no benefits from the Settlement. This is the only option that allows you to ever be part of any other lawsuit against RWC and Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. for the claims this Settlement resolves. Please submit your Request for Exclusion to the RWC Claims Administrator by September 21, 2024. For more detailed information, see FAQ 11, FAQ 12, and FAQ 13.
Object	Write to the Court about why you do not like the Settlement or ask the Court not to approve the Settlement. Please submit your Objection by September 21, 2024. For more detailed information, see FAQ 16 and FAQ 17.
Go to the Hearing	Ask to speak in Court about approval of the Settlement at the October 21, 2024, final approval hearing. The Court has converted the Final Approval Hearing to a telephonic hearing. Please find the information below: The phone number for the teleconference is 1-888-684-8852 and the access code is 7001576#.
Do Nothing	Get no compensation. Give up your rights to sue RWC and Home Depot for the claims this Settlement resolves. For more information, see FAQ 10.

These rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are further explained in the Long-Form Notice and on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page of this website.