10 Class-Action Settlements That Could You Get Free Money

From Apple to Uber, big companies might owe you money, and you can file a claim online in minutes.

You hear about class-action lawsuits all the time, like this one filed against Apple (based on a Gizmodo story!), or this other one against Apple (or this one or this one). Part of the reason is they’re so lucrative for lawyers; a “class” is a group of people who have the same grievance against a company, which means there’s a lot of money involved if the company loses or settles.

But when there’s money on the table, it’s not guaranteed you’ll receive a payment. It’s often up to qualifying members of that class to file a claim. That can be as simple as filling out a quick form online. Please, don’t lie on these forms, because they’re legal documents. You should also be aware that you’re waiving the right to file your own separate lawsuit if you join the class.

You just have to know where to look. One resource is classaction.org. The site is a database on ongoing investigations and lawsuits, as well as settlements with links to claim your rebate. In many cases, companies get to keep the money that class members don’t claim. That means the clock is ticking.

Payouts are split up among the qualifying class members, so unless the harms were extreme (think serious injury or a major financial loss) you usually shouldn’t expect much. But cash is cash. Sometimes they’ll even put it straight into your PayPal account.

Here are lawsuits we’ve found with large classes that a lot of Gizmodo readers may be a part of. We’re talking people who purchased MacBooks with a butterfly keyboard, the 147 million people affected by the Equifax data breach, buyers of certain Nestle coffee creamers, and more. (If you’re outside the U.S., I can’t help you, but at least your healthcare system is better than ours.)

Wesson Cooking Oil

Have you ever purchased Wesson brand cooking oil? It’s pretty popular, so chances are good you have. You might have money on the table if you’re a resident of 11 different states including California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas and you bought certain cooking oils between 2006 and 2017, depending on the state.

The lawsuit alleges Wesson’s parent company Conagra Foods broke the law by misrepresenting cooking oil made from GMOs as “natural.” Conagra denies any wrongdoing.

You have until May 22, 2023 to file a claim. You can find details here.

Celsius Energy Drinks

Celsius energy drinks are “clinically proven to function,” whatever that means. Some Celsius products contain citric acid, a weak colorless chemical that occurs naturally in many fruits. It’s a very common ingredient, but what for?

Well, a lawsuit says citric acid is a preservative, which would be a problem, because Celsius products are labeled “No Preservatives.” The company, however, says it used the acid as a flavoring, not a preservative, and denies any wrongdoing.

If you’re a huge fan of Celsius, there could be a nice chunk of change here, between $1 and $250, depending on your circumstances. Without a receipt though, that maximum award is $20.

You can file a claim or exclude yourself from the class until February 23, 2023, find out more on the settlement website.

Uber’s “Wait Time Fees” For People With Disabilities

The Department of Justice sued Uber, alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act for charging a “wait time fee” for riders who needed extra time to get in the car. Uber denies any wrongdoing (notice a theme here?).

Uber agreed to a settlement. The company waived those wait time fees for riders with disabilities going forward (but you have to opt-in, find the details here).

Qualifying class members can also get a refund for double the amount of any fees they paid in the past. You can claim your money on Uber’s website linked above, on the dedicated settlement website, and by mail: e- or snail. But you only have to submit one time by whatever method you chose.

Find info on the settlement website, WaitTimeFeeSettlement.com. The deadline to file a claim is April 24, 2023.

American Airlines Baggage Fees

Remember when checking a bag was free? What the hell happened to air travel? In general, when you buy a plane ticket, you’re also entering into a contract with the airline. According to a lawsuit, from 2017 to 2020, American Airlines’ contract with ticket holders said you could check a certain number of bags free, but some people were charged baggage fees anyway.

Say it with me, class: American Airlines denies any wrongdoing. But it did agree to this settlement. The deadline to file a claim is February 22, 2023.

Thinx Period Underwear

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because their chemical bonds are so strong that they are extremely hard to break down and get rid of. That’s a shame, because they cause cancer and other problems, and they’re so widely used in manufacturing they are now inside almost every living thing on planet earth. PFAS are in your body right now. Sorry.

PFAS are in the water, soil, and food all over the world, not to mention tons of products. McDonald’s uses PFAS in its food containers, but don’t worry, the company says it will phase them out by 2025. No rush, fellas, we can wait. They’re also, according to a lawsuit, in Thinx period underwear, which is particularly and harshly ironic, because PFAS can cause fertility problems.

Despite investigations that found lots of PFAS in Thinx products, the company denies that it’s ever used PFAS. Thinkx agreed to a settlement. For your trouble, Thinx customers can get a refund for up to three pairs of underwear, topping out a measly $21. Better than nothing?

The deadline to file a claim is April 12, 2023.

Apple’s Butterfly Bamboozle

Last year, Apple settled a lawsuit with $33 million of which was set aside for qualifying Mac users. If you bought a MacBook between 2015 and 2019 in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, or Washington, you probably qualify. It’s a nice payout too, either $50, $125, or $395.

For half a decade, Apple used keyboards on its laptops that broke all the time. Why? Sure seems like the problem was bad design. But don’t worry, because if you had a problem, you could just go to the Apple store and pay a fee to fix the faulty product the most valuable company in the world sold you. Apple denies any wrongdoing, obviously.

Head to this website and file a claim by March 6, 2023. Maybe Tim Apple will personally send you a check.

AT&T’s “Unlimited” Data Plan

Spout off in the comments and tell me what you think the word “unlimited” means. If you guessed “limited,” then you’re a winner! (If you were an AT&T customer between October 1, 2011 and June 30, 2015.)

Unfortunately for American Telephone and Telegraph—did you know that’s what AT&T stands for—words have meaning, so somebody sued them on behalf of their phone plan compatriots.

If you’re still with AT&T, then you should’ve received a credit on your bill already. You might have gotten a check from the company already as well. If you didn’t, you have until May 18, 2023 to fill out this form.

Avid/Budget Rental Car Toll Fees

Here’s one you might fall into if you rented a car between 2007 and 2015 in the United States from Avis or Budget and paid to use their e-Toll system. The deadline is February 28, 2023. File a claim here.

Equifax Data Breach

Everyone has a credit score. Guess how the credit rating agencies come up with it. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are data brokers. They harvest your personal financial information and sell access to it. Sometimes that that starts before you’re even born.

Did you ask Equifax to spy on you to help banks and landlords make more money? Me neither! Too bad. They did it anyway, and then whoops, they leaked the data on 147 million Americans, exposing social security numbers and other information. That sparked a wave of identity theft. The good news is you can get a very small amount of money if you were or are victimized between January 23, 2020 and January 22, 2024. The future is bright!

You can file a claim here.

Nestle Coffee Mate® Powder Cream Product(s)

Missouri resident Nicholas Cahill likes to get his money’s worth, apparently, and he decided to get litigious about it. He sued Nestle because certain Coffeemate® powder creamer product(s) didn’t always contain as many servings as the labels said they did, as measured by the recommended serving sizes, according to the lawsuit.

Does this make you as angry as it made Nicholas? Well, justice has been “served.” Or maybe it hasn’t, because the court didn’t decide and, guess what, Nestle denies any wrongdoing.

If you bought qualifying powder creamer products between January 1, 2017, and December 8, 2022, though, Nestle will send you cash. You can find the list of relevant creamers here.

The deadline to file a claim is March 14, 2023.

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