A scathing report alleges a company selling artificial field turf knowingly continued to push sales of defective fake grass, misled customers and tried to cover it up.
A review of internal emails and interviews by NJ Advance Media found that Fieldturf sold the artificial turf line “Duraspine” to more than 1,000 towns, schools and teams after executives potentially knew that the product was deteriorating faster than expectations.
Twenty-two schools and facilities in Kansas and Missouri used Duraspine fields from Fieldturf.
Piper High School in Kansas City, Kansas bought one in 2008. Superintendent Tim Conrad said the field started breaking down. After more than three years of pushing Fieldturf, the district sued.
Conrad sent 41 Action News the following statement:
“In March, 2016, the school district filed suit against Fieldturf USA due to problems it was having with the synthetic grass turf system that was installed at Piper High School in 2008. The school district and Fieldturf were able to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of their differences raised in that lawsuit and it was dismissed in May, 2016. The district is satisfied with the resolution of the dispute and has no further comment on the matter.”
See the map below for facilities that were affected in the Kansas City area:
The full list of KS and MO facilities affected includes:
- Baker University Stadium, Baldwin, KS
- Benedictine College,Atchison, KS
- Circle H.S., Towanda, KS &
- Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
- Kansas University, Lawrence, KS
- Ottawa University, Ottawa, KS
- Piper H.S., Kansas City, KS
- Pittsburg H.S., Pittsburg, KS
- Topeka Seaman H.S., Topeka, KS
- Valley Center District Stadium, Valley Center, KS
- De Smet Jesuit H.S., Creve Coeur, MO
- Hickman H.S., Columbia, MO
- Jefferson City H.S., Jefferson City, MO
- Swope Park, Kansas City, MO
- Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
- Morgan County H.S., Versailles, MO
- Northwest State University, Maryville, MO
- Rock Bridge H.S., Columbia, MO
- Scott Gallagher Soccer Club, Maryland Heights, MO
- Sports Lodge, Independence, MO
- University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
- William Chrisman H.S., Independence, MO
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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com.
