NIBCO Settlement: Final PEX Leak Payments Are Going Out
Questions about this case?
AI Legal Assistant · free · answers in seconds · general information, not legal advice
The NIBCO class action settlement is the $43.5 million deal over NIBCO PEX plumbing that leaked. It was approved in 2019, and the window for new claims is closed. What is in the news now is the last money: per the administrator’s July 15, 2026 update, a supplemental payment of an estimated 45% of each approved claim was expected to go out on a rolling basis beginning by July 30, 2026. That would bring approved claimants to 70% — the maximum. There is no new NIBCO lawsuit with an open claim form.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the NIBCO Lawsuit Was About
The NIBCO lawsuit covered three plumbing products: NIBCO’s PEX tubing made with its 1006 formulation (sold as NEXT-Pure, DURA-PEX and NIBCO PEX), ASTM F1807 yellow brass fittings, and the stainless steel clamps used with them. The tubing was manufactured from January 2005 through August 2012; NIBCO stopped making the fittings and clamps in 2015.
The plaintiffs alleged the products were defective and could leak, causing water damage. NIBCO rejected that allegation, said the products met all industry standards, and the settlement expressly is not an admission of a defect.
Case Details
The lead case is Cole, et al. v. NIBCO Inc., No. 3:13-cv-07871, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, settled together with Meadow, et al. v. NIBCO Inc., No. 15-cv-1124 (M.D. Tenn.). Judge Freda L. Wolfson granted final approval on April 11, 2019. The administrator’s site is pexsystemsettlement.com, run on Angeion infrastructure.
A second NIBCO class action, Matson v. NIBCO in the Western District of Texas, covered certain D.R. Horton-built homes around San Antonio and Birmingham that the judge had cut out of Cole. It settled for $7.65 million to homeowners plus $2,330,000 in fees paid separately, and the Fifth Circuit rejected the only objection on October 12, 2022.
Status: Approved, Claims Closed, Final Payments Rolling
The claim period ran from November 14, 2018 to May 16, 2025. Each leak had a 150-day filing window, so the last possible claims were due by October 13, 2025. There is no claim form to file today. Our news report has the details of the payment round: NIBCO supplemental payments of 45%.
Who Was Covered
The class is everyone who has owned a home or commercial building in the United States since January 1, 2005 that contains or contained NIBCO’s covered tubing, fittings or clamps — plus people claiming on their behalf, such as insurers, builders and later buyers of the property. But being in the class was never enough to be paid: you needed a qualifying leak, a timely claim and proof.
Excluded were certain homes built by D.R. Horton-Birmingham in Alabama and by Continental Homes of Texas in Texas; those owners were covered by the separate Matson case. If you filed a claim and it was approved, you are in line for the supplemental payment. If you never filed, the deadlines have passed.
How Much the NIBCO Settlement Pays
Owners with three or more separate qualifying leaks could instead claim a re-plumb payment calculated at $600 per plumbing fixture, capped at $16,000 per structure, paid at the same percentages. Proof was required: evidence that NIBCO products were in the property (inspection report, plumber’s report, builder records, photographs) and, for later leaks, normally the failed section itself. Money not paid out stays with or returns to NIBCO.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 24,037 other fraud casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025, 27.4% of them filed as class actions:
- 17.3% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 22.5% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 17.3% and 39.8%.
- 10.4% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 111 reached a trial (0.9%), after a median of 30 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 7 months.
- Only 735 of them (3.1%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $663,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal other fraud cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
NIBCO Class Action Settlement Timeline
- 1
December 27, 2013 — Cole v. NIBCO Filed
Homeowners sue in federal court in New Jersey, alleging NIBCO PEX tubing, fittings and clamps fail prematurely and leak.
- 2
October 29, 2018 — $43.5 Million Settlement Announced
NIBCO agrees to a fund of up to $43.5 million covering Cole and the Tennessee Meadow case, without admitting a defect. Preliminary approval follows on November 14, 2018.
- 3
April 11, 2019 — Final Approval
Judge Freda L. Wolfson approves the settlement but carves out certain D.R. Horton and Continental Homes properties. The Effective Date is May 16, 2019.
- 4
October 12, 2022 — Matson Settlement Cleared
The Fifth Circuit rejects the lone objection to the separate Texas settlement for the carved-out homeowners: $7.65 million plus separately paid fees.
- 5
May 16, 2025 — Claim Period Ends
The six-year window for new leaks closes. The last claims, for leaks on the final day, are due by October 13, 2025.
- 6
July 30, 2026 — Supplemental Payments Begin
Per the administrator’s July 15, 2026 update, an estimated 45% top-up starts going out on a rolling basis, bringing approved claims to 70%.
Three Things to Watch For
A settlement that is sending its final checks attracts people who want a cut:
“Reopen your NIBCO claim” offers
The claim period ended May 16, 2025, and the last filing deadline was October 13, 2025. Nobody can reopen it for a fee. A site taking new NIBCO claims now is not the administrator.
Fees to release your supplemental payment
The estimated 45% top-up is for claimants whose claims were already approved. Be wary of anyone asking for a fee or bank login details to release it, and check pexsystemsettlement.com first.
Plumbers selling a “settlement-covered” re-pipe
A contractor who says the NIBCO settlement will pay for a new re-pipe today is wrong. Re-plumb claims had to be filed within the claim period and were paid at 25% to 70% of a fixed formula, not the full invoice.
NIBCO Settlement — Questions People Actually Ask
Is there a NIBCO class action settlement I can still file a claim in?
No. The claim period ended May 16, 2025 and the final claim deadline was October 13, 2025. As of October 2026, only claimants who already filed are being paid. There is no open NIBCO claim form.
Why is the NIBCO settlement in the news now?
Because of the final payments. On July 15, 2026 the administrator announced a supplemental payment of an estimated 45% of each approved claim, issued on a rolling basis beginning by July 30, 2026.
How much will my NIBCO payment be?
A percentage of your approved claim amount, not a flat sum. You got 25% first; the supplemental payment adds an estimated 45%, for 70% in total. If you never received the first payment, the estimate is one payment of 70%.
Who is the NIBCO settlement administrator?
The official site is pexsystemsettlement.com, run on Angeion infrastructure. Contact: 1-855-649-5968, info@pexsystemsettlement.com, or PEX System Settlement, PO Box 58086, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Which NIBCO products were part of the lawsuit?
PEX tubing made with NIBCO’s 1006 formulation (NEXT-Pure, DURA-PEX, NIBCO PEX), ASTM F1807 yellow brass fittings and stainless steel clamps used in homes and commercial buildings. Irrigation, radiant heating, RV and international uses were not covered.
My home was built by D.R. Horton in Texas or Alabama. Which case am I in?
Possibly neither. Certain D.R. Horton-Birmingham and Continental Homes of Texas properties were excluded from Cole and covered by the separate Matson v. NIBCO settlement, which the Fifth Circuit cleared on October 12, 2022. The exclusion lists are posted on the official Cole site.
Did NIBCO admit its PEX pipe was defective?
No. The plaintiffs alleged a defect; NIBCO rejected the allegation, and the settlement agreement states it is not an admission of a defect.
I have a NIBCO leak now. What can I do?
The settlement no longer accepts new leaks. Keep the failed section of pipe, fitting or clamp and photos, notify your homeowner’s insurer, and talk to a licensed attorney about whether any individual claim is still possible in your state.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
Related Consumer Brand Lawsuits
Uponor PEX Lawsuit
The other big PEX plumbing case and where it stands
Open Class Action Settlements
Settlements you can still file a claim in right now
Settlement Payout Calculator
Estimate what a class action claim is likely to pay
Angeion Group Administration
How the administrator behind the NIBCO PEX site works