JustAnswer subscription autorenewal $4.7M class action settlement

JustAnswer agreed to pay $4.7 million to resolve claims its expert answer subscriptions violated California auto renewal terms.

The settlement benefits consumers who were enrolled in a JustAnswer membership subscription after a trial period between Jan. 31, 2016, and Dec. 2, 2021, and who created their account with a California billing address.

JustAnswer is a website that allows consumers to submit their questions to “experts” in various fields. In order to ask questions on JustAnswer, consumers must pay a monthly subscription fee.

According to a class action lawsuit against JustAnswer, the website operator violated California renewal laws by automatically renewing customer subscriptions without consent. Under California law, auto renewal terms must be displayed in a clear and conspicuous manner before customers are charged for the subscription.

Plaintiffs in the case say they were misled by JustAnswer and the company’s failure to display their auto renewal terms in a clear way. 

One plaintiff allegedly believed she only needed to pay a one-time fee of $5 to get her question answered. She claims she was not informed upon paying or in her welcome email that she had been enrolled in an automatic renewal agreement, and was later surprised to be charged a monthly fee of $46.

“If [the plaintiff] had known that Defendants were going to enroll her in an automatically renewing membership program, [she] would not have submitted her credit card information to Defendants and would not have paid any money to Defendants,” the JustAnswer class action lawsuit contends.

The complaint includes documentation of similar complaints from customers on online forums such as the Better Business Bureau website. 

JustAnswer hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to resolve these claims with a $4.7 million class action lawsuit.

Under the terms of the JustAnswer subscription settlement, class members can collect a cash payment from the fund. The net settlement fund will be divided equally amongst participating class members, regardless of the amount each class member paid in membership fees. Exact payments will vary depending on the number of class members who participate in the settlement. The more class members who participate, the lower payments will be.

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Aug. 16, 2022. 

The final approval hearing for the JustAnswer subscription settlement is scheduled for Oct. 14, 2022. 

In order to receive a payment from the settlement, class members must submit a valid claim form by Aug. 16, 2022.

Who’s Eligible

The settlement benefits consumers who were enrolled in a JustAnswer membership subscription after a trial period between Jan. 31, 2016, and Dec. 2, 2021, and who created their account with a California billing address.

Potential Award

TBD

Proof of Purchase

No proof of purchase applicable

Claim Form

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

08/16/2022

Case Name

Sellers, et al. v. JustAnswer LLC, Case No. 37-2020-00005869-CU-BT-CTL, in the San Diego County Superior Court

Final Hearing

10/14/2022

Settlement Website

JustAnswerSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Sellers, et al. v. JustAnswer LLC
CPT GROUP, Inc.
50 Corporate Park
Irvine, CA 92606
JustAnswerSettlement@cptgroup.com
888-398-3453

Class Counsel

Zach P Dostart
DOSTART HANNINK & COVENEY LLP

Defense Counsel

Randolph Gaw
GAW | POE LLP