![]() ![]() He said the settlement administrator has acknowledged receipt of his claim. members, and at this point there is no indication of whether we will get any portion of that back," he said. "I have received no compensation nor to my knowledge did any of my fellow condo corp. Unlike Crocker, Mascarenhas is still waiting for his first cheque after filing his claim in late 2014. It's unknown how many were Canadians, but $25.5 million US has been approved in partial payments to Americans and $47 million Cdn to residents of Canada. Lawyer David Robins, one of those handling the Canadian case, said 20,000 claims were filed by the time the claims period ended in January. It's estimated 292,000 North Americans had Kitec in their homes. "I'm sure there's lots of people out there just like me," she said. It just makes you wonder why it's taking so long," Crocker said, adding the $9,000 she paid to replace the Kitec "is a lot of money." They've had my papers for seven years and they're all correct. "I first called in January, then again in March and early September," Crocker said, noting she always gets the same story that they're processing claims. She received a cheque for $247 and was told at the time she might receive more once the claims period ended. She had no leaks or water damage and said she was told people who experienced damage would be paid first. The window to file a claim was open for eight years and didn't close until January of this year.Ĭrocker, who now lives in Eastern Passage, N.S., applied in 2013. ![]() It can be identified by its bright orange and blue piping. The product may also have other brand names, including PlumbBetter, IPEX AQUA and WarmRite. Kitec, billed as a cheaper and easy-to-install alternative to copper piping, was used primarily in hot water baseboard and in-floor heating systems. The Kitec plumbing system was widely used in the late 1990s and early 2000s before it was recalled due to deteriorating fittings and pipes. Seven years later, she still doesn't know whether she will receive any additional compensation from the $100-million US settlement. She applied for compensation in 2013 and received $247. Heather Crocker spent $9,000 replacing Kitec in her former home. At the time, Gilardi LLC was appointed as the claims administrator, although it was subsequently acquired by another company. The settlement included $25 million US for legal fees, notices and other administration, leaving $100 million US plus interest to pay claims for damage caused by leaks and floods and replacing the fixtures and pipes. It's been almost nine years since Canadian and American courts approved a settlement worth $125 million US in a class action lawsuit over Kitec plumbing fixtures and pipes.Īn unknown number of Canadians, like Crocker and Mascarenhas, still don't know when - or if - they will be compensated for the thousands of dollars they've paid to replace plumbing systems. ![]() One of the lawyers involved in a class action over the product tells CBC News the pandemic, a flood of claims before the deadline, as well as civil unrest in Louisville, Ky., where the claims administrator's head office is located, are to blame for the delay in disbursing funds. Some 1,800 kilometres away, Carl Mascarenhas of Toronto hasn't yet received a penny for his $17,000 claim made in 2014 to replace the Kitec in his townhouse. Heather Crocker has been waiting seven years to learn how much she'll be reimbursed for the $9,000 she paid to replace Kitec plumbing in her former Dartmouth, N.S., home.
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