A steel-frame backyard pool that has stood for years may now be worth $40 from a court settlement, with no receipt needed. Owners of certain Bestway above-ground pools have until Oct. 30, 2026 to file a claim from a $15 million fund, the settlement website says. People who kept a receipt can ask for more.

What the lawsuit covers

The case is In re Bestway Above-Ground Pools Litigation, No. 1:25-cv-09570, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The defendants are Bestway (USA) Inc., Bestway Inflatables & Material Corp. and Bestway (Hong Kong) International Ltd. They do not admit fault, and the settlement site says the $15,000,000 agreement carries no admission of wrongdoing.

A recall came first. ClassAction.org reports that the recall did not offer consumers any money, which was a criticism of it, and that the court gave preliminary approval to the settlement on May 4, 2026.

Which pools qualify

The class is people in the United States, its territories or Washington, D.C. who bought a covered pool for personal use rather than resale. The covered pools are Bestway-branded Power Steel, Steel Pro and Coleman Power Steel above-ground pools. Three conditions apply to the pool itself:

• It is 48 inches tall or taller.
• Its compression straps run outside the vertical support legs, the poles that hold the wall up.
• It was sold between 2008 and 2024.

The site’s FAQ says wholesalers, distributors, retailers and second-hand purchasers are excluded. A pool bought used from a neighbor does not count, and neither does one a store bought to sell. The FAQ does not explain how to confirm a model, and it points people who are unsure to the settlement administrator.

The test is the pool on the patio. Anyone with a tall steel-frame Bestway or Coleman pool should look at where the straps sit and find the model name on the box, the manual or the pool itself, then compare them with the list above.

A pool bought anywhere from 2008 to 2024 leaves old boxes, manuals and receipts scattered through a garage, and the claim is due Oct. 30. The Settlement & Refund Recovery System lays out a step-by-step filing walkthrough and the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice, so the Oct. 30 claim date and the Nov. 20 hearing stay apart.

Get the Bestway pool filing walkthrough with the Recovery System →

What a claim pays

There are two payment levels, the FAQ page says. A claimant with a valid proof of purchase receives 10 percent of the price paid, as shown on the receipt. If the proof does not show a price, the payment is 10 percent of the Average Retail Price of the identified pool. A claimant without proof receives a flat $40 cash payment.

Ten percent of a $500 pool is $50, so a receipt starts to beat the flat $40 once the pool cost more than $400. A pool that cost less than that does better on the flat payment. The FAQ states no cap on how many pools one person can claim and no maximum payout.

All of it depends on the claim form. The FAQ says a timely, signed and valid claim form is required to receive a cash payment, and the main page calls the form the only way to get money. The FAQ also says the fund pays for notice and administration, attorneys’ fees and costs, and service awards, and it does not say what happens if valid claims run past the $15 million.

How to file by Oct. 30

The fastest route is online at poolsettlementbw.pnclassaction.com. A paper form can be downloaded from the Court Documents page and mailed to Bestway Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 1869, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, with a postmark no later than Oct. 30. The phone line is 1-855-789-5948, and forms can be requested there.

Payment can be electronic or by paper check, according to the FAQ. An electronic payment requires a current email address.

The other Oct. 30 dates and the hearing

Oct. 30 is also the last day to opt out and the last day to object, both of which can be done online or by mail. A person who objects stays in the settlement and may still file a claim. A person who does nothing gets no money and is bound by the settlement.

The final approval hearing is Nov. 20, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time, though the FAQ says the date may change. Payments do not go out until the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved, so money could be months away.

Checking the pool and filing before Oct. 30

The claim itself is free and is filed on the settlement website. Before starting, it helps to gather the pool’s model name, its height, the year it was bought and where, and any receipt or order confirmation. Someone who cannot find a receipt can still claim the flat $40.

It is worth saving the confirmation after the claim goes in and writing down the Nov. 20 hearing date, since the payment follows the court’s decision. A person unsure about a model should call the administrator before Oct. 30 rather than guess.

The settlement site is the source for the dates and amounts, and any change to the hearing would appear there.

Oct. 30 closes the Bestway $40 claim

A pool bought years ago can leave a trail of boxes and emails, and the payment may arrive well after the Nov. 20 hearing. The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes a claim log and a step-by-step filing walkthrough, so the claim date, the confirmation and the expected payment sit in one place. It is a 50-page system with the tracker built in.

Set up a claim log for the Bestway pool settlement with the Recovery System →

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.