Amana/Whirlpool Refused to refund the cost of a clothes washer that stopped working after 3 months Benton Harbor MI

Maybe you should actually read the warranty that came with your machine.  A warranty entitles you to free repairs on the machine during the term of the warranty, as long as you still own the product. You have to follow the terms of the warranty, which generally means using the manufacturer for warranty service. 

You can't get a refund just because something broke on your machine and you decided to throw it away.  And you don't get to determine whether or not something is repairable -- the warrantor does that.  In your case, the warranty ended as soon as Lowe's took possession of the machine, so Amana certainly doesn't owe you anything.  Next time, don't be an idiot and call the manufacturer for warranty repairs. 

The warranty covers repair, not replacement. Amana attempted to honor their agreement. The failed washer would become their property if they were to pay for a replacement unit. You will not win a small claims suit because you disposed of [what would become] their property.

For example:

If an insurance company pays the owner to replace a wrecked automobile, that wrecked vehicle becomes the property of the insurance company. The owner of the vehicle must surrender that vehicle to the insurance company.

At this point I would just like a refund for a defective product - I still fail to see why this is an issue for Amana. I am considering filing a small claims suit but have not made a choice about that action yet.
- If you don't see how this is an issue, nothing mentioned here will probably make any sense.

But if you pursue the Small Claims case you will very likely lose. If you read the terms of the Warranty you can't just buy a new washer, get rid of the damaged washer and then expect them to refund you the cost of the original washer. That is NOT how ANY warranties work.

What you SHOULD have done is contact Amana directly when the washer failed. They would have sent out one of their technicians at their cost who would have made the decision as to what action to take. That would have been to either repair or replace it. However, I will tell you that the cost you are quoting is YOUR "retail" cost..not what it would take for them to replace the part. So per the Warranty they very likely would have just replaced the board.

Of course if you don't believe any of this I would highly suggest talking to an attorney. Just don't be surprised if they tell you basically the same thing.