Florida Community Association Construction Law Blog

Multiple class action law suits have been filed in federal court against KABA, one of the world's largest manufacturers of keyless locks mechanisms. KABA's keyless lock mechanisms are used in both residential and commercial applications and have been sold throughout the country, including Florida. The cases have been combined into a multi-district litigation in the United States District Court Northern District of Ohio as Case Number 1:11-md-02220-DCN.

The lawsuit alleges that KABA has manufactured and sold a defective lock that can be opened by placing a certain magnet in front of the lock. The manufacturer has acknowledged the defect but the issue of what to do about the locks that have already have been sold and installed is yet to be resolved.

One of the concerns when litigation of this sort is brought is the potential exposure of the defect to people with a criminal intent. The use of the magnet to open the locks, as expected, has now appeared in videos on the internet.

It has been suggested by the plaintiffs, that owners or associations responsible for buildings which contain KABA keyless lock mechanisms should be made aware of the defects by the manufacturer. However to date, no large scale notification has been sent. The complaint alleges specifically that locks sold under the trade names Unican and Simplex in the 1000, 3000, 5000, 6200, 7000 and 7100 series are defective.

We will continue to monitor and update you on this new construction defect case.