Published
August 10, 2026
This settlement covers Bestway above-ground pools 48 inches and taller that were built with a compression strap running outside the vertical support legs — the strap a child could allegedly use as a foothold to climb in. If you bought one from a retailer for your own use, you can claim $40 with no receipt, or 10% of what you paid if you still have proof of purchase, through October 30, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline to file is October 30, 2026, and online claims must be submitted by 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time that day; mailed claim forms must be postmarked no later than the same date. The court has authorized notice to the class, but it has not yet decided whether to approve the settlement — a fairness hearing is set for November 20, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. No payments have been issued and no payment date has been announced, because payments cannot be distributed until the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. If you bought a qualifying Bestway pool from a retailer, the action to take now is to file a claim before October 30.
Status
Claims Open
Claim Deadline
October 30, 2026
Online by 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time · mailed claims postmarked by the same date
Estimated Payout
$40 without a receipt
Or 10% of the price paid with Valid Proof of Purchase · $15M fund · may be adjusted pro rata
Proof Required
No
Settlement Claim ID is optional · you must supply the pool's brand, dimensions and model or serial number
What Changed Recently?
The claim window has opened. A $15,000,000 settlement was reached with Bestway (USA) Inc., Bestway Inflatables & Material Corp. and Bestway (Hong Kong) International Ltd., the court authorized notice to the class, and the official settlement website is now taking claims through October 30, 2026 — the same date that governs exclusion requests and objections.The case follows a recall announced on July 21, 2025. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Bestway, Intex and Polygroup were recalling certain above-ground pools 48 inches and taller because the compression strap wrapping the outside of the pool legs can create a foothold that lets a small child climb into the pool, even with the ladder removed. About 5 million of the recalled pools were sold in the United States across all three brands, and CPSC reported nine child drowning deaths between 2007 and 2022 involving children who used the strap to get in. The recall remedy is a free repair kit that replaces the compression strap with a rope.
The complaint alleges that the pools were defective and that the recall was inadequate because it offered no monetary remedy. Those remain allegations. Bestway denies that its pools are defective and denies any wrongdoing or liability, the court has not decided who is right, and the Notice states that the companies agreed to settle to avoid the risk, cost and time of continuing the case.
One point matters more than the dollar figure: the Notice says the settlement does not release claims for personal injury, bodily injury, emotional distress or wrongful death, and does not limit any rights under the recall. Filing a claim here is not a trade-off against either of those.
Who Qualifies?
The Settlement Class covers people in the United States, its territories and the District of Columbia who purchased, for personal use and not for resale, a Bestway-branded pool 48 inches in height or taller with compression straps located outside the support poles, sold from 2008 through 2024. The Notice names Power Steel, Steel Pro and Coleman Power Steel among the covered model lines.Three conditions in that definition are easy to miss:
- The pool has to be 48 inches or taller, and the straps have to run outside the vertical support legs. Shorter pools and pools with straps routed inside the legs are not Class Products.
- You must have bought it from a retailer, not second-hand. Second-hand purchasers are expressly excluded.
- The purchase has to have been made before May 4, 2026, and any Valid Proof of Purchase must show a purchase on or before that date.
Only one claim is allowed per Settlement Class Household — defined as a Settlement Class Member together with everyone sharing the same residential address — so a household with two qualifying pools, or two adults who each bought one, still files a single claim.
The Notice also excludes the presiding judge and immediate family; the Defendants and their parents, subsidiaries and affiliates along with their current and former officers, directors, employees, agents and counsel; anyone who timely opts out; successors and assigns of excluded persons; wholesalers, distributors and retailers of the Class Products; second-hand purchasers; and Class Counsel.
How Much Can You Get?
Bestway will pay $15,000,000 into a Settlement Fund if the court approves the settlement. That fund covers Cash Payments to class members plus notice and administration costs, attorneys' fees and costs, and service awards, so the amount available to claimants is what remains after those deductions.There are two Cash Payment tiers, and which one you land in depends entirely on whether you can document the purchase:
- With Valid Proof of Purchase — 10% of either the actual price paid as shown in the proof, or 10% of the Average Retail Price of the identified Class Product if the proof does not show a price.
- Without Valid Proof of Purchase — a flat $40.
The claim form states that the $40 no-proof payment may be subject to a pro rata adjustment, which is how these funds are reduced if valid claims exceed what the fund can pay. Neither the Notice nor the claim form publishes the Average Retail Price figures or a per-person estimate — the actual amount depends on how many valid claims come in and on what the court awards in fees and costs. Treat both tiers as estimates until the administrator calculates them.
Class Counsel may ask the court for attorneys' fees of up to one third of the settlement amount, exclusive of administration costs and service awards, plus reimbursement of litigation costs. They will also request service awards of $2,500 for each class representative. The court may award less than requested, which would leave more in the fund for claimants.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
No proof is required to file. The $40 tier exists precisely for people who no longer have a receipt, and the claim form lists the Settlement Claim ID as optional — the online portal has a separate path labelled for claimants who do not have one. A class member who never received a mailed or emailed notice can still submit a claim.What the form does require is enough information to identify the pool. You provide the brand name (for example Power Steel, Steel Pro or Coleman Power Steel), the dimensions (height in inches, plus diameter for round pools or width and length for oval pools), and then either the model number or the serial number. The claim form notes that serial numbers are usually located on the outside of the pool liner, often near the drain valve or the pump inlet and outlet. You also give an approximate purchase date and the retailer's name, and confirm the pool was bought for personal use rather than resale.
Valid Proof of Purchase matters only if you want the 10% tier. The settlement defines it as objectively verifiable documentation showing purchase of a Class Product on or before May 4, 2026 — store receipts, online purchase receipts, or any other contemporaneous record of purchase that can be verified — and all of it is subject to verification by the administrator. The claim form is signed under attestation, and claims may be audited.
What Is the Deadline?
October 30, 2026 is the deadline for every option in this settlement.Online claim forms must be submitted by 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time on October 30, 2026, and that is the only timezone the official documents specify. A claim form sent by mail has to carry a postmark no later than October 30, 2026.
The same date applies to the alternatives. A request for exclusion submitted electronically on the settlement website must be in by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on October 30, 2026, and a mailed exclusion request must be postmarked by that date; opting out is the only way to keep your right to sue Bestway over the claims this settlement resolves, and it means you get nothing from the settlement. Objections must be postmarked or filed through the court's electronic filing system by the same date. Mass or class exclusion requests filed by a third party on behalf of multiple class members are not allowed — each person must sign their own.
How Do You Take Action?
File online at the official settlement website, PoolSettlementBW.com, which also hosts the Notice, the FAQs and the settlement agreement on its Court Documents page. The claim form can also be downloaded from that page and mailed to the settlement administrator at the address printed on the form.The online form walks through four parts: your name and contact information, the pool's identifying details and purchase information, your payment selection, and an attestation you sign. Payment options are Venmo, Zelle or a check mailed to the address on your claim. If you choose Venmo or Zelle you supply the mobile number or email address tied to that account. It is your responsibility to notify the administrator if your contact information changes after you file, which you can do through the contact page on the official settlement website.
Separately from the settlement, if you still own one of these pools, the recall remedy remains available: Bestway is providing a free repair kit that replaces the compression strap with a rope. CPSC's guidance is to keep small children from accessing the pool unsupervised, or drain it, until the repair is made. Taking the recall remedy does not affect your settlement claim.
What Happens Next?
The next milestone is the fairness hearing on November 20, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time, in Courtroom 2119 of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago. The court will decide whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate, consider any objections, and rule on the requests for attorneys' fees, costs and service awards. Class members may attend but are not required to, and the Notice warns that the date and time can change — and that the court may hold the hearing by Zoom or telephone, or decide a hearing is not necessary.If the court grants approval, payments follow only after the judgment becomes final and any appeals are resolved, which can add time. No payment date has been announced.
Sources and Verification
This page is based on the official Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement and Claim Form in In re: Bestway Above-Ground Pools Litigation, No. 1:25-cv-09570 (N.D. Ill.), the official settlement website and its online claim portal, and the CPSC recall announcement for the pools.- Official settlement website — Pool Settlement BW (Notice, FAQs, claim form, exclusion form and the settlement agreement on the Court Documents page)
- CPSC — Bestway, Intex and Polygroup Recall Certain Above-Ground Pools 48 Inches and Taller Due to Drowning Hazard (July 21, 2025)
- Bestway — Pool Strap Recall page (free repair kit request)
Questions
My Bestway pool is shorter than 48 inches, or its straps run inside the legs. Do I qualify?
No. The Settlement Class is limited to Bestway-branded pools that are 48 inches or taller in height and that have compression straps located outside the support poles. A pool under 48 inches, or one whose straps run inside the vertical support legs, is not a Class Product. Height and strap placement are both part of the class definition, which is why the claim form asks for the pool's height in inches along with its model or serial number.
I already got the free repair kit from the 2025 recall. Can I still file a claim?
Yes. The Notice states that the Settlement neither incorporates nor endorses the Pool Recall and does not limit any rights under it. Taking the recall remedy does not disqualify you from the Settlement, and filing a Settlement claim does not give up recall rights. The Notice also says non-participation in the Settlement does not limit recall rights.
I threw out the receipt and I do not know the model number. Can I still file?
Yes. Claims without Valid Proof of Purchase are eligible for a $40 Cash Payment, and the online portal has a path for claimants who do not have a Settlement Claim ID. The claim form does require the pool's brand name and dimensions, and then either the model number or the serial number, which the form says is typically printed on the outside of the pool liner near the drain valve or the pump inlet and outlet. You also give an approximate purchase date and the retailer's name, and you sign the form under attestation.
My household has two of these pools, or two adults who each bought one. Can we file twice?
No. The Claim Form Instructions allow only one claim per Settlement Class Household, which is defined as a Settlement Class Member together with all persons sharing the same residential address. Two people at the same address, or two qualifying pools bought by the same household, still produce a single claim.
Someone in my family was hurt in one of these pools. Does this settlement affect that claim?
The Notice states that the Released Claims do not include claims relating to personal injury, bodily injury, emotional distress, wrongful death, or other physical or emotional harm allegedly arising from the Class Products. Filing a claim for the Cash Payment is not a release of those claims under the Settlement's own terms. Anyone in that situation should speak with a lawyer of their own about how the Settlement, the release, and the option to exclude yourself by October 30, 2026 apply to their circumstances.
Official Settlement Notice
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
$15,000,000
Case Title
In re: Bestway Above-Ground Pools Litigation
Case Number
1:25-cv-09570
Court
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Final Approval Hearing
November 20, 2026 at 10:00 AM CT
Courtroom 2119, Chicago, Illinois
Class Counsel
Laukaitis Law LLC and Pearson Warshaw, LLP (Interim Co-Lead)
Administrator
Eisner Advisory Group LLC
Official Website
Pool Settlement BW
