New deal reached in New York Times subscription class action

New York Times subscription class action overview: 

• Who: The New York Times reached a nearly $2.4 million settlement in a class action filed by Plaintiff Maribel Moses.
• Why: The New York Times will pay the settlement after a prior one was vacated because it included access codes that were deemed to be coupons requiring further business with the company.
• Where: The New York Times subscription class action settlement was filed in federal court in New York.

A nearly $2.4 million settlement will resolve claims made in a New York Times subscription class action lawsuit over auto renewals.

The New York Times settlement agreement comes after an appeals court sided with an objector on a prior settlement in the 2020 case brought by California resident Maribel Moses.

The previous settlement included a nearly $1.7 million settlement fund used to pay class members, notice and administration expenses, an incentive award for Moses and attorney’s fees. That settlement also included access codes for New York Times services.

Objector Eric Alan Isaacson challenged the final approval of that settlement because the access codes are like coupons that require doing future business with the New York Times. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit sided with Isaacson and vacated and reversed this court’s Final Approval Order and Judgment on Aug. 17, 2023.

New settlement is 43.9% more cash than prior settlement proposal

The new settlement was reached after mediation on Dec. 12, 2023.

The New York Times subscription class action settlement awards a pro rata portion of the nearly $2.4 million settlement for timely and valid claims after the deduction of notice and claims administration costs, attorneys’ fees and expenses and a class representative award.

In asking U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams to approve the new settlement, the parties argued it clearly falls within the range of approval and represents a 43.9% increase in the cash award in the settlement.

A consumer filed a similar 2022 New York Times class action lawsuit alleging deceptive trade practices and unjust enrichment in the New York Times’ subscription payment policies. 

Do you have a New York Times subscription? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Neal J. Deckant of Bursor & Fisher PA. 

The New York Times subscription class action lawsuit is Moses v. The New York Times Co., Case No. 1:20-cv-04658-RA, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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