2018 Was A Big Year for Class Action Settlement Payouts

A massive number of consumers benefited from settlement payouts in 2018 after learning of the payment opportunities through Top Class Actions — the #1 source of news regarding class action lawsuits and settlements.

Every month, more than 1 million consumers visit our website for news about settlements and current litigation. Additionally, 717,000 consumers subscribe to the Top Class Actions weekly newsletter.

Consumers who frequent our website are not only well informed, they are also in the position to recover settlement payouts. Top Class Actions informs consumers of available settlements which are open for consumers to submit claims.

Some settlements may seem like a waste of time for small payouts, but this isn’t always the case. In 2018, countless Top Class Actions consumers took advantage of available settlements and walked away with massive payouts.

In some cases, our viewers received thousands of dollars in compensation because they were well informed and submitted valid settlement claims.

From false advertising of consumer products, to violations of federal and state law, our viewers were able to submit settlement claims and get PAID!

Let’s take an end of the year look at some of the more popular class action settlements that paid out in 2018, starting with federal law violations in the form of unwanted telemarketing calls. 

TCPA Settlements

Did you know that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act protects you from unsolicited advertisements through phone calls or texts? Settlements under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) were common in 2018 and resulted in some large payouts.

Under the TCPA, consumers are able to collect between $500 and $1,500 per violation. The large penalties associated with TCPA may make offending companies more likely to settle claims rather than risk a large trial verdict.

An Uber TCPA settlement sent checks in September 2018 to Top Class Actions viewers who allegedly received spam text messages from the ride sharing service. Viewers reported receiving checks for up to $127.14 after filing valid claims for the settlement which resolved allegations that Uber’s text messages were a violation of the TCPA.

A similar Caribou text message settlement resulted in checks in March 2018. The settlement resolved claims that the coffee shop sent unwanted text messages and did not stop the messages when requested. Our viewers reported that they received checks for $68.56 after filing valid claims.

Larger checks were mailed in an AT&T U-verse class action settlement. Top Class Actions viewers received checks worth as much as $1,853.75 in connection with the settlement. The settlement resolved claims that AT&T used an automatic dialing system to place telemarketing calls regarding their U-verse service.

The New York Life TCPA settlement was the largest TCPA settlement with consumers reporting massive payment checks. The settlement resolved claims that the company violated TCPA by using an automatic dialing system to place telemarketing calls to consumers who hadn’t consented to receiving the calls. The company also allegedly called consumers whose numbers were on the National Do Not Call Registry.

Under the New York Life TCPA settlement, consumers who received calls from the company were eligible to file a claim and recover payment. One Top Class Actions reader reported a massive payout from this settlement totaling $2,400.

Fake Sale Settlements

2018 was also a big year for fake sale class action settlements. These settlements often resolve claims that companies use misleading price tags or sale signs to entice consumers into purchasing products.

A TJ Maxx, Marshalls, & HomeGoods fake sale settlement gave consumers until April 2018 to submit valid claims regarding purchases in the offending stores. Claimants in the settlement were eligible to receive store credit valid for use in California stores. If claimants wanted to exchange their store credit for cash, they were eligible to do so and recover cash totaling 75 percent of the store credit.

A $2.9 million Nieman Marcus settlement was also reached in 2018. The settlement resolved claims that the company used deceptive price tags at their Last Call stores. Claimants had until Aug. 20, 2018 to file a valid claim. In early December, Top Class Actions viewers reported receiving checks worth as much as $373.90.

A Harbor Freight fake sale settlement survived the appeals process in 2018, allowing the settlement to move forward to the payment process. Our viewers reported receiving checks in May 2018 worth as much as $607.47 as well as gift cards valued at $160.

Smaller but still significant settlements were reached in Ann Taylor and Wish.com settlements. The Ann Taylor settlement resulted in payments worth $6.84 and Top Class Actions viewers reported receiving checks worth as much as $20 for the Wish.com settlement.

Biggest Payout: 20^th Century Fox Home Video Settlement

The largest paying settlement seen by Top Class Actions in 2018 was the 20^th Century Fox Home Video settlement. The settlement resolved class action claims that the company failed to properly pay motion picture profit participants. This included producers, writers, directors, and actors.

The 20th Century Fox class action claimed that the employment contracts for these participants failed to account for home video revenue, electronic sell-through revenue, and video-on-demand revenue.

These revenue sources include the profits brought in by the sale of videocassettes, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs, revenue from digital versions of motion pictures, and profit gained from digital streaming services such as Netflix.

Employment contracts allegedly failed to account for these sources of revenue when calculating compensation amounts, meaning that participants in various motion pictures may have been underpaid for their services.

The settlement Class included people who were parties to a Profit Participation Contract using form definitions drafted by Fox before May 31, 1989, that do not state an express percentage of home revenue video and/or electronic sell-through revenue to use in calculating a profit participation.

There were not estimates provided for the settlement because a variety of factors played a role, but the final payments turned out to be more than $20,000 in some cases. One of our viewers reported a shocking settlement check totaling $22,789.03!

Don’t Miss Out!

Our viewers raked in significant cash by participating in these and other settlements in 2018. If you missed out on class action lawsuit settlements of 2018, check out our comprehensive list of open class action settlements still accepting claims. If you’re not following TopClassActions.com, sign up for our free weekly newsletter now.