Terri Else Sues Roku and TCL Over Bricked TV Updates Class Action
Terri Else has filed a class action against Roku and TTE Technology, doing business as TCL North America, alleging software updates left some Roku TVs unusable. The complaint says the problem can leave sets blacked out or substantially degraded. For buyers of Roku TV products made by Roku or TCL, the suit puts software reliability and warranty promises directly in issue.
Else v. Roku in California
Else filed the case as Else v. Roku, Inc., et al., Case No. 8:26-cv-00748, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. She seeks to represent a nationwide class and a California subclass of consumers who bought Roku TV products manufactured by Roku or TCL from December 16, 2024, to the present. The proposed class includes Roku Select Series, Roku Plus Series and TCL 3/4/5/6 Series Roku TVs.
The complaint says Roku’s updates are “repetitively defective,” and it alleges they have “materially impair[ed] the functionality” of Roku products. It also says many televisions have been rendered “entirely unusable (‘bricked’), blacked out or otherwise substantially degraded in terms of device performance.”
TCL North America and Roku
Else claims Roku and TCL knew they were selling televisions with software defects that corrupted the user experience to the point of inoperability. She also argues the companies failed to disclose the defects before purchase, even though Roku markets its televisions as reliable smart TVs designed to keep getting better over time through automatic software updates.
The complaint says consumers have reported repeated system failures and that the defendants offer no recourse. It states, “Despite consumers’ persistent complaints of repeated system failures, often leaving their TVs completely inoperable, defendants offer no recourse.”
Warranties and remedies
Else says the alleged failures amount to breach of express and implied warranties, along with violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act. She is asking for declaratory and injunctive relief, actual and statutory damages, restitution, and a jury trial.
The suit also says, “This is inconsistent with representations made in express warranties, which promise to repair, correct or otherwise remediate the software defect.” For owners of affected sets, the practical question is whether Roku or TCL will offer repairs, corrections, or another remedy under those warranties. Else has already put that question before the court.
A separate class action has also accused Roku of removing a key feature from its Smart Home Cameras and forcing customers to pay for a subscription to access it.
