10 Class-Action Settlements That Could You Get Free Money
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Cash rules everything around me
You hear about class-action lawsuits all the time, like this one filed against Apple (based on a Gizmodo story), or this other one against Apple (or this one or this one). Part of the reason is they’re so lucrative for lawyers; a “class” is a group of people who have the same grievance against a company, which means there’s a lot of money involved if the company loses or settles.
But when there’s money on the table, it’s not guaranteed you’ll receive a payment. It’s often up to qualifying members of that class to file a claim. That can be as simple as filling out a quick form online, it sometimes takes less than one minute.
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Gizmodo is not your lawyer, but these forms are legal documents so our advice is don’t lie on them. You should also be aware that you’re waiving the right to file your own separate lawsuit if you join the class.
You just have to know where to look. One resource is classaction.org. The site is a database on ongoing investigations and lawsuits, as well as settlements with links to claim your rebate. In many cases, companies get to keep the money that class members don’t claim. That means the clock is ticking.
Payouts are split up among the qualifying class members, so unless the harms were extreme (think serious injury or a major financial loss) you usually shouldn’t expect much. But cash is cash. Sometimes they’ll even put it straight into your PayPal account.
Here are lawsuits we’ve found with large classes that a lot of Gizmodo readers may be a part of. We’re talking people who’ve ever had a Facebook account, the 147 million people affected by the Equifax data breach, buyers of pork or popular cooking oils, and more. (If you’re outside the US, I can’t help you, but at least your healthcare system is better than ours.)
Update, Apr. 19, 11:00 a.m. EST: This story has been updated with new information.
You’ll never get your data back. Perhaps you’d like some cash instead?
In 2004, a Harvard sophomore named Mark Zuckerberg founded a startup called The Facebook. It went on to some modest success, but things got hairy when ol’ Zuck started mucking around with people’s data. So hairy, fact, that the company may owe you free cash.
This lawsuit stems from the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018, where it was discovered that Facebook let a political consulting firm working for Donald Trump and Ted Cruz siphon off user data from 87 million accounts. Facebook, which intentionally designed it’s platform for this kind of data harvesting, pretended. Later, it turned out Zuckerberg knew about Cambridge Analytica for at least a year before the news broke.
Meta (the company formerly known as The Facebook) denies that it broke the law.
If you had a Facebook account between 2007 and 2022 (and be honest, you did) you may be entitled to compensation. You have until July 26, 2023 to file a claim.
Vizzy Hard Seltzer
How ‘bout a nice beverage to wash down all that cash?
Vizzy hard seltzer, brought to you by the same people who make Coors Beer, said its product was made “with antioxidant vitamin C from acerola superfruit.” Turns out, not so much. Did you buy some? Now’s your opportunity for restittution. You can use the free cash to buy strawberries. They’re almost in season and they do in fact contain vitamin C. The company denies any wrongdoing.
You have until June 6, 2023 to file a claim.
Canned Tuna
Imagine this can but WAY bigger, topped off with a garnish of free cash
Free cash of the sea
How about a nice tuna salad sandwich? What’s that? You want some free cash on the side? Well you’re in luck, if you bought an enormous 40 ounce can of tuna from DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, or Costco between 2011 and 2016. That’s because the companies may have conspired to raise prices (though they deny any wrongdoing).
Historic lovers of absolutely massive cans tuna can file a claim until June 21, 2023.
Pork Products
Mmmmm, tastes like cash
If giant cans of tuna don’t sound appetizing, perhaps you’re more of a pork fan. If so, you probably overpaid for it, according to this lawsuit which alleges that long list of companies conspired to fix and raise their prices. The pork industry denies any wrongdoing. You can file a claim until June 30, 2023.
Wesson Cooking Oil
Grease me up with that free cash
Did you fry up all that pork and tuna in a sizzling hot pool of Wesson brand cooking oil? No matter your diet, there’s a good chance you’ve purchased Wesson’s oil, because it’s pretty popular. You might have money on the table if you’re a resident of 11 different states including California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas and you bought certain cooking oils between 2006 and 2017, depending on the state.
The lawsuit alleges Wesson’s parent company Conagra Foods broke the law by misrepresenting cooking oil made from GMOs as “natural.” Conagra denies any wrongdoing.
You have until May 22, 2023 to file a claim. You can find details here.
Don’t Put Your All-Clad Cook Wear In the Dishwasher
Cookin’ up some free cash
Did you use that Wesson cooking oil with your favorite All-Clad pan? Well, if you put it in the dishwasher afterward, you may be entitled to free cash. All-Clad said its stuff is dishwasher safe, but according to a class action lawsuit, it’s not. All-Clad denies any wrongdoing.
People who bought some All-Clad products between 2015 and 2022 can file a claim.
JUUL
Vaping that free cash straight to the dome.
A few years back everyone started walking around with electronic cigarettes like some kind of cyberpunk bounty hunter, and for a while, JUUL was the only game in town.
JUUL said it’s products were safe an non-addictive. According to a class action lawsuit, the company also marketed its products to minors. As we all know, kids love to smoke and nicotine is good for your lungs and non-habit forming. But for some reason, JUUL decided to settle a class action lawsuit over these allegations. Despite the fact that, say it with me, the company denies any wrongdoing.
Aggrieved JUUL heads can file a claim by July 14, 2023.
Uber’s “Wait Time Fees” For People With Disabilities
Tryna’ make that cash accessible
The Department of Justice sued Uber, alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act for charging a “wait time fee” for riders who needed extra time to get in the car. Uber denies any wrongdoing (notice a theme here?).
Uber agreed to a settlement. The company waived those wait time fees for riders with disabilities going forward (but you have to opt-in, find the details here).
Qualifying class members can also get a refund for double the amount of any fees they paid in the past. You can claim your money on Uber’s website linked above, on the dedicated settlement website, and by mail: e- or snail. But you only have to submit one time by whatever method you chose. Uber denies any wrongdoing.
Find info on the settlement website, WaitTimeFeeSettlement.com. The deadline is just days away, you can file a claim is April 24, 2023.
AT&T’s “Unlimited” Data Plan
Might have used up all my data looking up ways to get more cash!
Spout off in the comments and tell me what you think the word “unlimited” means. If you guessed “limited,” then you’re a winner! (If you were an AT&T customer between October 1, 2011 and June 30, 2015.)
Unfortunately for American Telephone and Telegraph—did you know that’s what AT&T stands for—words have meaning, so somebody sued them on behalf of their phone plan compatriots. AT&T denies any wrongdoing.
If you’re still with AT&T, then you should’ve received a credit on your bill already. You might have gotten a check from the company already as well. If you didn’t, you have until May 18, 2023 to fill out this form.
Equifax Data Breach
Oh no, we leaked all your data to people who want to steal your cash!
Everyone has a credit score. Guess how the credit rating agencies come up with it. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are data brokers. They harvest your personal financial information and sell access to it. Sometimes that that starts before you’re even born.
Did you ask Equifax to spy on you to help banks and landlords make more money? Me neither! Too bad. They did it anyway, and then whoops, they leaked the data on 147 million Americans, exposing social security numbers and other information. That sparked a wave of identity theft.
Equifax denies any wrongdoing (I guess data breaches are an act of god). The good news is you can get a very small amount of money if you were or are victimized between January 23, 2020 and January 22, 2024. The future is bright!
You can file a claim here.
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