Join us at ASI Show Fort Worth, March 29 – 31.   Register Now.

March 13, 2025

Massachusetts Woman Sues Igloo Amid Fingertip Amputation-Related Cooler Recall

Kathryn Trainor is seeking class action status and damages. At least one of the recalled cooler models sold in promo.

By  Christopher Ruvo

Key Takeaways

• Class Action Lawsuit: Kathryn Trainor has sued Igloo Products Corp. over defective coolers that have caused consumers to sustain injuries that include fingertip amputations.

• Recall Details: Igloo has recalled about 45 cooler models due to the hazards. More than a million of the coolers were sold.

• Legal Issues: Trainor alleges negligence, consumer protection violations, and seeks damages. Meanwhile, Igloo is also facing a separate proposed class action suit in which a plaintiff says the firm has made false sustainability and Made-in-the-USA claims.

A Massachusetts woman has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Igloo Products Corp. in connection with a recall the Katy, TX, company issued after defective coolers it sold caused fingertip amputations, bone fractures and lacerations.

Kathryn Trainor of Taunton, MA, is asking a federal judge to certify her suit as a class action and to award damages and restitution to her and anyone in the U.S. who purchased the injury-causing products.

At least one of the recalled cooler models sold in the promotional products industry – the Igloo Maxcold Latitude 90 Quart Roller Cooler (34547) from BamBams (asi/38228), though the supplier is not named as a defendant in the case. Trainor is only suing Igloo, alleging violations of consumer protection law, warranty breaches, negligence, fraud by omission and failure to warn consumers about the products’ danger, among other charges.

Trainor’s lawsuit states she bought the Igloo 34506 Latitude 90 Roller White for personal household use. While she hasn’t lost a fingertip as some did, Trainor “has been pinched by the handle multiple times, causing discomfort and potential injury,” the lawsuit says. “This issue not only affects usability but also raises safety concerns.”

The lawsuit asserts that Igloo was negligent and worse for failing to notify Trainor and others who purchased recalled coolers of the hazards prior to their making the purchases.

“Because [Trainor] and all consumers purchased the worthless and dangerous products, which they purchased under the presumption that the products were safe, they have suffered losses,” the lawsuit states. “As a result … plaintiff seeks damages and equitable remedies.”

Igloo issued the recall in February in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The recall named approximately 45 Igloo models.

According to the CPSC, 1,060,000 of the coolers were sold in the United States, while another 47,000 made it to market in Canada and 23,000 in Mexico. The issue, as Trainor’s lawsuit indicates, is that the tow handle can pinch consumers’ fingertips against the coolers, which can lead to amputation and crushing hazards.

Made in the USA, the coolers retailed at Costco, Target, Academy, Dick’s and other stores nationwide. Igloo also sold them online at Amazon.com, Igloocoolers.com and other websites from January 2019 through January 2025 for between $80 and $140, the CPSC said.

Any promo distributors that may have sourced 90-quart Igloo coolers during the specified time, whether from traditional industry sources or elsewhere, may want to consider looking into the recall.

Igloo manufactured the defective coolers prior to January 2024. According to product safety officials, the date of manufacture is imprinted on the bottom of each cooler in a circular pattern with an arrow pointing to the month of manufacture and the last two digits of the year of manufacture inside the circle.

Counselor Top 40 supplier Gemline (asi/56070) also carries Igloo coolers. The supplier has told ASI Media that it does not carry, nor has it ever carried, models named in the recall.

The legal battles are mounting for Igloo. At the end of January, a New York resident filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the cooler maker, saying the firm has made false sustainability and Made-in-the-USA claims in the marketing and labeling of certain products.

At least some items specifically named in that suit appear to have been for sale in promo, including the EcoCool Little Playmate 7 Quart Cooler, EcoCool Latitude 52 Quart Cooler and the REPREVE Packable Puffer 20-Can Cooler Bag. No promo suppliers are accused of wrongdoing or are named in the false claims suit.

Both proposed class action lawsuits are in their early stages. Igloo attorneys had not responded to them in court filings as of this writing.