James W. Dawson, Jr. and Edmond C. Hill, Jr., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Generac Power Systems, Inc. and Generac Holdings, Inc.

District Court, M.D. Florida·Decided December 29, 2025·No. 8:24-cv-02412·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA TAMPA DIVISION

JAMES W. DAWSON, JR., and EDMOND C. HILL, JR., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. Case No. 8:24-cv-2412-KKM-LSG GENERAC POWER SYSTEMS, INC., and GENERAC HOLDINGS, INC., Defendants. ___________________________________ ORDER Plaintiffs bring this putative class action against Generac Power Systems, Inc., and Generac Holdings, Inc., alleging that defendants marketed and sold them defective generators. Am. Compl. (Doc. 27). Seeking to certify a nationwide class and subclasses in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, North Carolina, and Texas, the plaintiffs’ complaint asserts claims for breach of

warranty, negligence, and fraud, as well as violations of state consumer protection laws. Id. ¶¶ 276, 287–468. The defendants move to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, lack of standing, and for failure to state a claim. Mot. to Dismiss (MTD) (Doc. 34). The plaintiffs oppose. Resp. (Doc. 35). For the reasons explained below, I grant in part and deny in part the defendants’ motion to dismiss.

I. BACKGROUND Defendant Generac Power is a Wisconsin-based corporation that designs, manufactures, markets, and sells commercial and residential generators and power supply products through authorized dealers and retailers throughout

the United States. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 2, 11, 68, 71. Generac Power is a wholly owned subsidiary of Generac Holdings, a Delaware corporation with headquarters in Wisconsin that relies on its subsidiaries as a “principal source of cash to repay indebtedness [and] fund operations.” Id. ¶¶ 68, 70–71 (internal

citation omitted). Generac’s generators come with a limited warranty providing that the “Generator and/or transfer switch system will be free from defects in material and workmanship” for up to five years or 2,000 hours, and further

guaranteeing that “Generac will, at its discretion, repair or replace any part(s) which, upon evaluation, inspection and testing by Generac or an Independent Authorized Service Dealer, is found to be defective.” Limited Warranty (Doc. 27-1). The Limited Warranty “supersedes all other warranties, expressed or

implied” and explains that “Generac makes no other warranties as to the merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.” Id. (boldface omitted). Named plaintiffs are residents of Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas, who purchased 22kW and 24kW Generac

generators between 2021 and 2024. See, e.g., Am. Compl. ¶¶ 18–67, 88, 92, 117, 177. The plaintiffs claim to have “relied on . . . information regarding the quality, reliability, and functionality of the Class Generators conveyed in Generac’s [and its authorized retailer’s] marketing materials and

advertisements in deciding to purchase their standby generators.” Id. ¶ 227. The plaintiffs allege, though, that “[u]nbeknownst to consumers at the time of purchase and/or installation, the Class Generators contain a latent defect which accelerates the wear and deterioration of critical parts associated with

the alternator, including the slip rings and carbon brushes, and creates increased friction and resistance between components.” Id. ¶ 4. That defect causes “poor contact between the carbon brushes and slip rings, further damage, and premature wear or failure of the surrounding components,” and

“disrupts the continuous transfer of electrical power and signals between a generator’s stationary and rotating parts, which in turn causes the Class Generators to malfunction and/or stop powering consumers’ homes during an outage.” Id. ¶¶ 4–5. Each of the named plaintiffs claims that his or her Generac

generator suffers from a defect which caused it to fail during use and now renders it “no longer reliable during storms or power outages.” See id. ¶ 81. The plaintiffs also allege that Generac Power and Generac Holdings “knew or should have known of information pertaining to the Defect,” id. ¶ 7,

based on “(a) consumer complaints posted on the internet; (b) warranty and post-warranty claims; (c) consumer complaints made directly to Generac and/or its authorized retailers, or certified technicians; and (d) authorized retailer and installer repair records and replacement parts sales data,” id.

¶ 238. And, according to the plaintiffs, Generac Power and Generac Holdings “continue[] to falsely represent through written representations and warranties that the Class Generators are reliable backup power sources that are free from Defect, of merchantable quality, and will perform dependably for

years.” Id. ¶ 252. The plaintiffs filed this putative class action based on the alleged defects in Generac’s generators and, under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), 28 U.S.C. § 1332(d), seek to certify both a nationwide class and individual state

subclasses “of owners and purchasers of standby generators models ranging from 18Kw to 48Kw in Generac’s product series (‘Class Members’), which are supposed to provide consumers with automatic backup power to their homes, that were manufactured, designed, marketed, warranted, and/or sold to

consumers from 2020 to 2024 (the ‘Class Generators’).” Id. ¶¶ 1, 76. The named plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and unnamed nationwide class members, assert claims for breach of express warranty (Count I), breach of implied warranty (Count II), negligent misrepresentation (Count III), fraudulent concealment or misrepresentation (Count IV), and negligence (Count V). Id.

¶¶ 287–356. The named plaintiffs also bring—on behalf of the relevant state subclasses—claims for violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) (Count VI), the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (Count VII), the Louisiana Consumer Protection Act (Count VIII), and the

North Carolina Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act (Count IX). Id. ¶¶ 357–468. The defendants move to dismiss under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), (2), and (6). II. LEGAL STANDARDS

A claim for relief must include “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” FED. R. CIV. P. 8. This standard “does not require ‘detailed factual allegations,’ but it demands more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Ashcroft v.

Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). “A pleading that offers ‘labels and conclusions’ or ‘a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.’ ” Id. (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555). Nor do “naked assertion[s]” devoid of “further

factual enhancement” suffice. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 557. A. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) A defendant may move to dismiss a complaint for lack of standing. FED.

R. CIV. P. 12(b)(1). To establish standing, a plaintiff must show “(1) an injury in fact; (2) a causal connection between the injury and the alleged misconduct; and (3) a likelihood that the injury will be redressed by a favorable decision.” L.M.P. on behalf of E.P. v. Sch. Bd. of Broward Cty., 879 F.3d 1274, 1281 (11th

Cir. 2018) (citing Lujan v. Defs. of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 560–61 (1992)). At the pleading stage, a plaintiff must clearly allege facts demonstrating each element for each claim. Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 578 U.S. 330, 338 (2016). Standing requirements apply no less in class actions, where “named plaintiffs

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James W. Dawson, Jr. and Edmond C. Hill, Jr., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Generac Power Systems, Inc. and Generac Holdings, Inc., (M.D. Fla. 2025).

James W. Dawson, Jr. and Edmond C. Hill, Jr., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Generac Power Systems, Inc. and Generac Holdings, Inc. (James W. Dawson, Jr. and Edmond C. Hill, Jr., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Generac Power Systems, Inc. and Generac Holdings, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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