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It's no secret that switchblades are controversial. While there's no outright law banning you from owning one (at least not on the federal level), dozens of states do have restrictions on features, such as the length and concealed carry. For many, it's probably better just not to even bother with them. The "press and flip" Milwaukee utility knife is an interesting case. With the push of a button, the knife blade unfolds, similar to a switchblade, causing the utility knife to become the subject of a class action lawsuit proposal in 2018.
The complaint was filed in California federal court and targeted Techtronic Industries Company Ltd., Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp., and The Home Depot for selling Milwaukee's Fastback "Press and Flip" utility knife. The lawsuit (via ClassAction) alleges that the knife violates multiple knife laws across several states.
Essentially, the argument was that the knife functioned like a switchblade or gravity knife; therefore, it shouldn't have been sold in places where such knives are illegal. There have been no updates on the case since its 2018 filing, and Milwaukee hasn't given any official statements, either. As such, the knife is still available to buy at Home Depot or wherever else you get your Milwaukee products.
What's the basis of the lawsuit's argument against Milwaukee?
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A big part of the class action lawsuit has to do with how quickly the Fastback opens. Per the lawsuit, Milwaukee even went as far as to claim the knife's one-handed button mechanism released the blade "3X faster than a [two]-handed opening." According to the complaint, that kind of design violates the Federal Switchblade Act, which has to do with transporting products across state lines and less to do with actual ownership of a switchblade. The filing sought to hold the manufacturers and retailers responsible for selling it to people who probably didn't know about the supposed question of its legality.
There's no indication the Fastback has been banned by any court or regulator as a result of the filing. It has continued to be sold without interruption, and publicly available information doesn't suggest any sort of judgment making the knife illegal. Same for Milwaukee, which has never gone on record to issue an admission of any wrongdoing. That's probably because the Milwaukee Fastback is a "press and flip" knife, meaning a person has to intentionally press a button and manually flip the blade open.
That's different from a traditional switchblade, which opens automatically with the push of a button or flick of the wrist. What's more, you can also change the blade of a Milwaukee Fastback, which isn't exactly true of a switchblade.