Bestway pool settlement: $40 or 10% back, file by Oct 30

What the Bestway pool settlement covers

This is a $15,000,000 class action settlement in In re: Bestway Above-Ground Pools Litigation, No. 1:25-cv-09570, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, before Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins. The first complaint was filed Aug 12, 2025, and several similar suits were folded into it.

The plaintiffs say Bestway's tall above-ground pools have compression straps running on the outside of the vertical support legs, and that those straps can act as footholds and create a potential drowning hazard. They also say the voluntary recall Bestway announced with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on July 21, 2025 fell short because the fix was a repair kit, not money. Bestway (USA) Inc., Bestway Inflatables & Material Corp. and Bestway (Hong Kong) International Ltd. deny that the pools are defective and deny any wrongdoing. The court hasn't ruled on who is right; the companies agreed to settle without admitting fault.

The settlement pays you for the purchase. It does not replace the recall's repair kit, and it does not release personal injury, property damage or wrongful death claims.

Who qualifies for the Bestway settlement

You're in the class if all of these are true:

• You're in the U.S., a U.S. territory or Washington, D.C.
• You bought a Bestway-branded above-ground pool for personal use, not to resell. The settlement names Power Steel, Steel Pro and Coleman Power Steel models.
• The pool is 48 inches or taller and has compression straps outside the support poles.
• It was sold between 2008 and 2024, and you bought it from a retailer before May 4, 2026.

Second-hand buyers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers are excluded. The claim form allows one claim per household, meaning everyone who shares a residential address. A pool under 48 inches, or one with the straps inside the poles, falls outside the class definition.

Not sure which model you have? The form asks for a model number or a serial number, and it says serial numbers are typically on the outside of the pool liner, often near the drain valve or the pump inlet or outlet.

How much the Bestway pool settlement pays

You get one of two payment levels, depending on whether you can prove the purchase:

The pro rata catch: why your payment could shrink

The covered pools sold for roughly $400 to over $1,000, so 10% lands around $40 to $100 or more. But every payment is subject to pro rata adjustment, because the $15,000,000 fund also pays for notice and administration (estimated at $380,521), service awards and attorneys' fees.

On Sep 25, 2026, class counsel asked the court for $4,867,326.33 in fees, which is one-third of the net fund and the most the notice allows, plus $41,864.18 in expenses. If the judge grants every request, roughly $9.7 million is left for claimants. The administrator hasn't published a claims count, so nobody can say yet whether payments will be cut. Our explainer on why settlement checks are so small walks through the math, and this guide to proof of purchase covers what records count.

How to file a Bestway pool settlement claim

You can file online or by mail. Filing directly with the administrator is free, and nobody should charge you for it. Start from the official site, PoolSettlementBW.com, and use its Submit a Claim link.

1. Check the pool. It must be Bestway-branded (including Power Steel, Steel Pro or Coleman Power Steel), at least 48 inches tall, with straps outside the support poles.
2. Find the model number or the serial number. The form wants one of them, plus the pool's height and its diameter (round) or width and length (oval).
3. Gather proof if you have it: a store receipt, an online order confirmation or another dated record of the purchase. No proof is fine, you'll just be in the $40 tier.
4. Open the claim form from the official site. The mail-in form marks the Settlement Claim ID as "if known", so a lost notice isn't a blocker; the pool details and purchase info are what the form needs.
5. Enter the brand, dimensions, model or serial number, approximate purchase date and retailer, say the pool was for personal use, and pick how you want to be paid. The mail-in form lists Venmo, Zelle or a paper check.
6. Submit it by Oct 30, 2026 and save the confirmation. To use paper instead, print the claim form from the site's Court Documents page, sign it, and mail it, postmarked by Oct 30, 2026, to Bestway Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 1869, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.

Bestway settlement key dates and deadlines

The claim, opt-out and objection deadlines all fall on the same day, so decide before Oct 30, 2026. If you do nothing, you get no money and give up the right to sue Bestway over the issues this settlement resolves. Opting out keeps your right to sue on your own but means no payment; read when opting out makes sense before you do it. Objecting doesn't stop you from filing a claim.

Is the Bestway pool settlement legit?

Yes. It's a court-supervised class settlement: Judge Jenkins gave it preliminary approval on May 4, 2026 and appointed EisnerAmper LLP as administrator. The official site, poolsettlementbw.com, says it is the only authorized website, and the administrator's toll-free line is 1-855-789-5948. A real claim never costs money.

Be wary of texts or emails that ask for a fee, a bank login or a Social Security number. The claim form asks for pool details, contact information and a payment preference, nothing more. Our guide to spotting settlement scams has the red flags.

Also don't confuse this with Bestway's separate spa pump settlement, a different case in Arizona whose claim deadline was Oct 5, 2026.

What happens after you file

The administrator checks each claim against the class definition and can ask for more information; the court's order says claimants get a reasonable chance to fix a deficient claim. The judge then decides at the Nov 20, 2026 hearing whether to approve the settlement and the fee request. Payments can't go out until final approval is granted and any appeal is resolved, and no payment date has been announced. The order also says leftover money goes to a court-approved cy pres recipient rather than back to Bestway. For typical waits, see how long settlement checks take.

Where Owed fits. Owed finds the settlements you qualify for, explains them in plain English, opens the official claim form, reminds you before deadlines and tracks each claim to payout. You submit the claim yourself on the official form. Owed Pro is $2 for the first week, then $49 per year — one flat membership. Owed never takes a percentage of any payout. You can see what else you might be owed or browse all open settlements.

This post is general information, not legal advice. Owed is not a law firm or a settlement administrator; the court and the administrator decide who qualifies and how much each claim pays.

Glossary

Pro rata adjustment

A proportional change to every payment so the total matches the money left in the fund after fees and costs.

Valid proof of purchase

A receipt, online order record or other dated record the administrator can verify as showing you bought a covered pool.

Compression strap

The band around the outside of the pool's vertical support legs that the lawsuit says children can use as a foothold.

Final approval hearing

The court date where the judge decides whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate and rules on attorneys' fees.

Opt out

Formally leaving the class so you keep the right to sue on your own, in exchange for giving up any settlement payment.

Cy pres

A court-approved gift of leftover settlement money to a charity or similar recipient instead of returning it to the defendant.

FAQ