Pokémon GO Festival Class Action Settlement

Niantic Inc. has agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging consumers who attended the Pokemon GO Fest in Chicago, Illinois in July 2017 were unable to play Pokemon GO at the festival.

If you attended the Pokémon GO Fest in Chicago on July 22, 2017, you may be entitled to payment from the class action settlement.

According to the Pokémon GO Fest class action lawsuit, Niantic advertised the Pokémon GO Fest in Chicago as the one-year anniversary celebration of one of the most popular mobile games.

The company advertised that attendees would be able to play Pokémon GO with thousands of other players from around the world. They would also reportedly be able to attend special events and win prizes that were unavailable to those who did not attend the festival.

The plaintiffs claim that technical issues and other factors prevented them from being able to play Pokémon GO during the Pokémon GO Fest.

“[T]hose in attendance at the Fest were unable to play the Game due to Defendant’s failure to account for the number of people that attended the Fest, and technical problems with the Game’s software,” the Pokémon GO Fest class action lawsuit states.

“These factors led to, inter alia, the Game being ‘unplayable’ for those in attendance at the Fest.”

The Pokémon GO Fest class action lawsuit brought claims for violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act, the California Unfair Competition Law, the California False Advertising Law, the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the Washington Consumer Protection Act, and negligent misrepresentation.

Niantic denies any wrongdoing but agreed to settle the Pokémon GO Fest class action lawsuit to avoid the risk, uncertainty and expense of ongoing litigation.

The Pokemon GO Fest class action settlement was preliminarily approved on March 30, 2018.

Class Members who would like to opt out of or object to the Pokémon GO Fest settlement must do so no later than July 9, 2018.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members of the Pokemon GO Fest settlement include all individuals who had a valid ticket for and attended the Pokemon GO Fest in Chicago, Illinois on July 22, 2017.

Potential Award

To be determined. According to the settlement notice, the settlement funds will be distributed pursuant to a plan of allocation that is approved by the court.

Proof of Purchase

Class Members will need to submit supporting documentation for certain categories of expenses incurred to attend the Pokémon GO Fest. Supporting documentation must be provided to for claims related to airfare, hotel/lodging or car rental expenses.

Claim Form

CLICK HERE TO FILE A CLAIM »

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

7/24/2018

NOTE: Class Members who file a claim online must provide the Claim ID and PIN Code that was sent to them in the notice of the Pokemon GO Fest settlement. A downloadable Claim Form is available here.  

Case Name

Norton, et al. v. Niantic Inc., Case No. 2017 CH 10281, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

Final Hearing

9/6/2018

Settlement Website

www.GOFestSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Pokémon GO Fest Administrator
c/o Kurtzman Carson Consultants
P.O. Box 404041
Louisville, KY 40233-4041
1-866-666-6803
info@GOFestSettlement.com

Class Counsel

Thomas A. Zimmerman Jr.
Sharon A. Harris
Matthew C. De Re
Nickolas J. Hagman
Maebetty Kirby
ZIMMERMAN LAW OFFICES PC

Defense Counsel

Michael Rhodes
COOLEY LLP