The home plate area of a Duraspine turf field installed by FieldTurf at Sullivan Field in Carteret. A national class-action lawsuit was filed against FieldTurf on behalf of the borough of Carteret, alleging its fields failed to meet exaggerated promises. EXTCarteret filed a lawsuit against a top U.S. maker of artificial turf for knowingly selling a defective product
In a statement, FieldTurf said it was “disappointed with the court’s recent decision” and was considering all its options, including an appeal. The pair told Carteret officials they needed to inspect the fields, and five months later FieldTurf conducted a formal examination, records show. More than a year passed before the borough received any reliable information on the warranty claims, in October 2014, according to court records. And afterward, the company “continued to stall.”
The product, Duraspine, allegedly lasted half as long as promised and deteriorated rapidly, leaving athletes vulnerable to injury. From 2005 until Duraspine was discontinued in 2012, records show FieldTurf sold 1,428 of the fields throughout the U.S. — including 164 in New Jersey — for an estimated $570 million in revenue.