November Class Action Settlements Involve Snapchat, GEICO and Coppertone
Several large class-action settlements affecting consumers nationwide have claim deadlines in November. Consumers who take action by these deadlines could recover significant compensation for false advertising, privacy violations, data breaches and other legal issues.
Coppertone Sunscreen Benzene False Advertising $2.3M Class Action Settlement
Bayer and Beiersdorf agreed to pay a combined $2.3 million to resolve claims that Coppertone sunscreen contains benzene.
The settlement benefits consumers who purchased certain Coppertone sunscreens before Aug. 2, 2022. Products included in the settlement are from Coppertone Pure & Simple, Sport, Complete, Glow Shimmer and Kids product lines.
Beiersdorf recalled 12 lots of Coppertone sunscreen spray in 2021 due to concerns the products contained benzene — a carcinogen linked to blood cancer and other health issues. Consumers took legal action against Beiersdorf and Bayer HealthCare, arguing that the companies had a duty to prevent and screen for dangerous contamination that could cause serious health problems for purchasers.
In order to receive settlement benefits, consumers must submit a valid claim form by Nov. 7, 2022.
Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal Fake Sale Prices $4.75M Class Action Lawsuit Settlement
Boohoo and BoohooMAN, PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal agreed to a $4.75 million class action settlement to resolve claims they used false sale prices when selling clothes.
The settlement benefits California shoppers who made purchases on the Boohoo website since April 9, 2016, on the PrettyLittleThing website since May 19, 2016, and/or on the Nasty Gas website since March 1, 2017.
Consumers in a class action lawsuit claim that Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and NastyGal websites use false reference prices when selling clothes. These prices allegedly duped customers into thinking they were getting a good deal on items. In reality, customers say the reference prices were not original, retail or former prices and only served to encourage shoppers to make purchases they otherwise would not have.
No claim form is required to benefit from the settlement. However, the deadline for consumers to exclude themselves is Nov. 28, 2022.
Snapchat Biometric Privacy $35M Class Action Settlement
Snapchat will pay $35 million to resolve claims its filters violated Illinois biometric privacy law.
The settlement benefits Illinois residents who have used Snapchat’s “Lenses” and “Filters” features since Nov. 17, 2015.
According to Illinois Snapchat users, the app’s lenses and filters features violate the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Snapchat allegedly violates BIPA by scanning and storing user facial geometry without getting prior consent or providing the necessary disclosures required by the law. In addition, the company fails to make its retention and destruction schedule public as required by BIPA, the plaintiffs contend.
The claim deadline in the settlement is Nov. 5, 2022.
Labrada Supplements False Advertising $625K Class Action Lawsuit Settlement
Labrada Bodybuilding Nutrition agreed to a $625,000 class action settlement to resolve claims that it misrepresented its weight loss supplements.
The settlement benefits Californians who purchased Labrada Green Coffee Bean Extract or Labrada Garcinia Cambogia supplements between Feb. 2, 2012 and July 15, 2022.
Plaintiffs in the supplement class action lawsuit accused Labrada of false advertising. Specifically, the consumers challenged the “Fat Buster” and “Fat Loss Optimizer” claims on the supplement labels. According to the class action lawsuit, these fat-loss claims were not supported by actual evidence and instead served to deceive customers.
In order to receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Nov. 11, 2022.
Humana, Cotiviti Data Breach Class Action Settlement
Humana agreed to an undisclosed settlement amount to resolve claims it failed to protect consumers from a 2020 data breach.
The settlement benefits consumers who received a data breach notification from Humana informing them that their personal and health information was compromised between Oct. 12 and Dec. 16, 2020.
Humana announced it and Cotiviti, its analytics partner, suffered a data breach between October and December 2020. The breach reportedly affected sensitive patient data, including Social Security numbers, birth dates and health information.
According to a subsequent class action lawsuit, Humana and Cotiviti could have prevented the data breach through reasonable cybersecurity measures. As a result of the companies’ alleged negligence, the plaintiffs say they will face the risk of identity theft and fraud for years.
The claim deadline for the settlement is Nov. 15, 2022.
PBM Nutritionals Baby Formula Servings False Ad $2M Class Action Settlement
PBM Nutritionals agreed to a $2 million class action settlement to resolve claims its baby formula, sold under many brand names, doesn’t make as many servings as promised.
The settlement benefits consumers who purchased Well Beginnings, Meijer Baby, Little Journey, Wesley Farms, Burt’s Bees Baby, Berkley Jensen, Parent’s Choice, Earth’s Best Organic, Comforts, Up & Up, Babies “R” Us, Member’s Mark or Bobbie Baby brand baby formula between Jan. 1, 2017, and July 21, 2022.
According to the baby formula class action lawsuit, PBM’s baby formula products do not make as many servings as are advertised on the product packaging. In reality, each product case allegedly makes 7.9% to 12.1% fewer servings than promised.
Shoppers say they wouldn’t have purchased the baby formula products or paid as much for them if they had known the truth about how many servings each package could make.
In order to receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Nov. 30, 2022.
GEICO California Total Loss Sales Tax, Fees $19.1M Class Action Settlement
GEICO will pay $19.1 million to resolve class action allegations that it failed to pay sales tax and regulatory fees when paying total loss claims in California.
The settlement benefits Californians who were insured under a GEICO automotive insurance policy and were not paid sales tax or fees on total loss claims submitted between June 27, 2015, and Aug. 27, 2020. Specific deadlines apply based on which GEICO insurer issued the policies.
Policyholders in a class action lawsuit say that they were denied sales tax and regulatory fees on total loss payments following automotive insurance claims. According to the plaintiffs, they were owed these benefits under both California law and GEICO’s policy terms. In some cases, failing to pay sales tax denied customers thousands of dollars, the plaintiffs contend.
The deadline to submit a claim in the settlement is Nov. 11, 2022.
Remicade (Infliximab) Antitrust $25M Class Action Settlement
Johnson & Johnson and Janssen agreed to pay a combined $25 million to resolve claims they violated antitrust laws by suppressing generic competitors to Remicade.
The settlement benefits individuals who indirectly purchased, paid for or reimbursed the purchase of Remicade (infliximab) between April 5, 2016, and Feb. 28, 2022.
According to the class action lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen conspired to suppress generic alternatives to Remicade, an autoimmune treatment drug. The companies allegedly used exclusionary contracts and other anti-competitive actions to prevent generic competition. Plaintiffs say this allowed the drug manufacturers to charge more for Remicade than they could have in a competitive market.
In order to receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Nov. 30, 2022.
GEICO Auto Claims Underpayment Class Action Settlement
GEICO agreed to pay an undisclosed amount as part of a settlement to resolve claims that it underpaid healthcare providers for treatment covered by automotive insurance claims.
The settlement benefits Florida healthcare providers who were paid only 80% for services involved in an automotive insurance claim during various periods between May 7, 2014, and May 31, 2022. Specific deadlines apply based on which GEICO insurer issued the policies.
The GEICO class action lawsuit accuses the insurer of underpaying Florida medical providers for services covered by auto insurance claims. According to the plaintiffs, GEICO only paid healthcare providers 80% per claim. The healthcare companies argue they deserved to receive 100% reimbursement under Florida insurance law.
The claim deadline in the settlement is Nov. 28, 2022.
CSL Plasma Biometric Data $9.9M Class Action Lawsuit Settlement
CSL Plasma agreed to pay $9.9 million to resolve class action allegations it violated privacy laws by collecting donor fingerprints in Illinois.
The settlement benefits anyone who scanned their finger at a CSL Plasma collection center in Illinois between Sept. 5, 2014, and Oct. 16, 2019.
Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit claim that CSL Plasma violated BIPA by scanning donor fingerprints at its donation facilities. According to the class action lawsuit, CSL Plasma failed to get the required consent and provide the necessary disclosures required by BIPA.
In order to receive settlement benefits, Class Members must submit a valid claim form by Nov. 3, 2022.
