Ghirardelli White Chocolate Class Action Settlement

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it misled consumers into believing some of its products contained white chocolate and that it falsely advertised some of its products as “all natural.”

The Ghirardelli class action lawsuit alleged the products labeled “Premium Baking Chips – Classic White” or “Premium Banking Chips – Classic White Chips” (White Chips) led consumers to believe they contained white chocolate, even though they do not. The false advertising class action lawsuit also alleged Ghirardelli falsely labeled and marketed some products as “all natural.”

Ghirardelli stands by its products and denies any wrongdoing. The company contends that its labels were not false or misleading, and that they complied with all U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. However, after taking into consideration the risks and costs of further litigation, Ghirardelli agreed to settle the white chocolate class action lawsuit.

The Ghirardelli class action settlement received preliminary approval on Oct. 2, 2014.

UPDATE:  A federal judge approved the Ghirardelli chocolate class action settlement on Feb. 20, 2015. The deadline to file a claim is 30 days after Final Approval. 

UPDATE 2: On Feb. 15, 2016, according to the Ghirardelli settlement website, Class Members who filed a valid and timely claim for this settlement should receive a check on or before March 19, 2016.

UPDATE 3: On Mar. 15, 2016, Top Class Actions readers started receiving checks worth as much as $33 from the Ghirardelli chocolate class action lawsuit settlement.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members of the Ghirardelli class action settlement include anyone in the United States who purchased, except for purposes of resale, certain allegedly mislabeled Ghirardelli products between Aug. 17, 2008 and Oct. 2, 2014. A complete list of the products is available here.

Potential Award

Class Members who submit valid Claim Forms will receive $1.50 for each bag of Ghirardelli White Chips and $0.75 for any of the other eligible Ghirardelli products purchased between Aug. 17, 2008 and Oct. 2, 2014.

The total recovery per household will be limited to $24, unless the purchases are corroborated by proof of purchase. There will be no limit on the total recovery for items for which proof of purchase is submitted.

The actual amount each Class Member will receive may be reduced depending on how many valid Claim Forms are submitted.

Proof of Purchase

None required. However, Class Members who do not submit proof of purchase will only be eligible to receive up to $24, while there is no cap on the total recovery for purchases corroborated by proof of purchase, such as an itemized sales receipt.

Claim Form

Claim Form Deadline

3/19/2015

Case Name

Miller, et al. v. Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Case No. 3:12-cv-04936, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division

Final Hearing

2/19/2015

Settlement Website

www.WhiteChipsSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Miller et al. v. Ghirardelli
c/o GCG
P.O. Box 10114
Dublin, OH 43017-3114
1 (844) 322-8239

Class Counsel

GUTRIDE SAFIER LLP

Defense Counsel

N/A