Purdue Pharma, CenturyLink Among April’s Class-Action Settlements
The latest class-action settlements focus on credit act violations, harm from OxyContin and other opioids, home sprinkler troubles, unexpectedly high bills, compromised medical records, and more.
Early Warning Services Case Over Fair Credit Reporting Act
You could benefit from a nearly $4 million class-action settlement reached with Early Warning Services to resolve allegations the company violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
A woman filed the lawsuit after she requested the complete contents of the file that Early Warning Services had on her. She alleged she was misled by Early Warning Services’ disclosure because she specifically wanted to know if there was a record of her committing fraud in relation to a Bank of America account she had held.
Early Warning Services allegedly had a record of such fraud, but did not disclose it to her in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The term “fraud” was missing from her report.
Early Warning Services did not admit to any wrongdoing under the FCRA or any other laws, but agreed to settle the lawsuit.
Class members are divided into two classes:
The (b)(2) Class: Individuals who requested their file from Early Warning Services between March 7, 2016 and Feb. 21, 2020 and who received a “Summary File Disclosure.” This Class does not include individuals who had a record of a match in the Internal Fraud Prevention Service.
The (b)(3) Class: Individuals who requested their file from Early Warning Services between March 7, 2016 and Feb. 21, 2020 and whose file disclosure indicated that the company had a fraud record about you despite the file disclosure not using the term “fraud.”
Members of the (b)(2) class will receive injunctive relief. Members of the (b)(3) class may receive a payment of about $59.
The deadline for exclusion and objection to the settlement is May 11, 2020. The final approval hearing for the Early Warning FCRA settlement is June 22, 2020. There is no claim form, but complete details are available here.
Purdue Pharma Opioid Addiction
Individuals or families of minors or deceased victims who incurred injuries from OxyContin or other opioids produced by Purdue Pharma may be eligible for compensation from a class action lawsuit settlement.
Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in September 2019. The claim program benefits those who were injured by Purdue opioids prior to Sept. 15, 2019.
The company faced allegations that it downplayed the risks of its opioids and overstated the benefits, which allegedly resulted in the addictions and deaths of hundreds of thousands of people over the past 20 years as an opioid epidemic overtook the U.S.
The final amount that consumers may collect has yet to be finalized, and a class member’s payment will depend upon the injury incurred (death, addiction, lost wages, etc.). The payment also will depend upon the number of claims filed.
Class members are those who were injured or lost family members from Purdue’s opioids prior to Sept. 15, 2019. Submit your valid claim either online or through the mail by June 20, 2020.
Viking Fire Sprinklers False Activation
Viking Fire Sprinklers has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit resolving claims the sprinklers can activate and soak property without a fire.
If you owned or lived in a property that contained Viking model VK457 fire sprinklers between Jan. 1, 2013 and March 31, 2015, and/or paid to replace the sprinklers or paid for damages caused by a non-fire activation, you could be eligible for a portion of his class-action settlement.
Viking has admitted no wrongdoing, but agreed to resolve the claims against the company.
Under the terms of the settlement, class members can choose to have the sprinklers replaced at no cost with a similar model of equal or greater quality. Any class member who has already paid out of pocket to have the sprinklers replaced can collect up to $35 in reimbursements per sprinkler replaced. Individuals who had a proven non-fire activation of their sprinklers can collect up to 70 percent reimbursement of property damage.
Claims must be submitted by Jan. 18, 2022. In order to receive activation benefits, class members must file a valid claim by July 18, 2022. Activation claim forms will be available on May 9, 2020.
The deadline for exclusion and objection to the settlement is May 8, 2020. The final approval hearing for this settlement is set for June 18, 2020.
CenturyLink Sales
If you had an account with CenturyLink or one of its operating companies for telephone, internet or television services between Jan. 1, 2014 and Jan. 14, 2020, you could benefit from a $15.5 million class-action settlement.
CenturyLink faced allegations the company deceived customers by committing misleading billing practices. Plaintiffs alleged the company promised certain rates to customers who were then charged a more expensive rate on their actual bills.
The company also faced allegations it charged customers undisclosed or improper charges for services or equipment that did not actually apply to them.
CenturyLink did not admit to any wrongdoing in the MDL, but has agreed to pay $15.5 million to cover class member payments, attorneys’ fees, court costs, and plaintiff service awards.
CenturyLink also will pay $3 million to cover settlement administration and notice expenses. If costs exceed $3 million, an additional $1 million will be covered equally by CenturyLink and the settlement fund.
Under the settlement, class members may receive a flat payment of $30. If supporting documentation is included with their claim, they can receive up to 40 percent of the damages claimed in lieu of the $30 flat payment.
Claims must be submitted by June 23, 2020, which is also the deadline for exclusion or objection.
Quest Data Breach
Quest has agreed to a $195,000 class-action settlement regarding allegations the information of thousands of patients became compromised in a 2016 data breach.
About 34,000 patients had their personal information allegedly compromised, including names, dates of birth, telephone numbers, and lab results such as HIV tests.
Unauthorized users hacked the Quest Diagnostics’ MyQuest application in November 2016.
Quest admitted to no wrongdoing, but agreed to fund $195,000 in settlement payments to affected consumers.
Class members may receive up to $325 in compensation from the settlement. Up to $250 in compensation for actual monetary losses are available per patient, too. Any patient who had an HIV test result compromised may qualify for up to an additional $75.
Submit a valid claim form by May 22, 2020.
Medical Waste Services Junk Fax
Did you receive an unsolicited junk fax from Medical Waste Services between Feb. 25, 2015 and Feb. 11, 2020? If so, you could be eligible for part of a $250,000 class-action settlement.
Plaintiffs alleged Medical Waste Services violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by sending unsolicited junk faxes to consumers who did not give prior consent and did not have an established business relationship with the company, or the fax received did not have a clear opt-out option. The TCPA protects consumers from unsolicited faxes, texts and phone calls.
Medical Waste Services admitted no wrongdoing, but agreed to the settlement. Eligible class members may receive a $60 cash payment.
The claim form must include a claim ID and a PIN and be submitted by the June 5, 2020 deadline.
Arkansas State Farm
If you live in Arkansas and you made a claim to State Farm, you could be eligible for a portion of a class-action settlement.
The settlement benefits individuals who made a claim to State Farm for loss or damage to a dwelling or other structure located in Arkansas based on a loss that occurred between May 1, 2010 and Dec. 6, 2013 and who received an “actual cash value” payment from State Farm for their claim.
State Farm faced allegations the company breached Arkansas insurance policies by wrongfully deducting the depreciation of labor costs for property damage. These deductions allegedly resulted in claims that were underpaid.
State Farm admitted to no wrongdoing, and the company insisted the Arkansas claimants received the full benefits they deserved. Still, the company agreed to settle the lawsuit.
Potential awards vary from 10% reimbursement to 100% reimbursement. The details of the class-action settlement are quite lengthy, but are spelled out here, along with access to a claim form.
Arkansas claimants must submit valid claims by July 1, 2020.
