Large companies could owe you a tidy sum: how to get money

Allegations of inflated drug prices, premature peeling car paint, data breaches and unwanted text messages are part of this month's largest class action settlements against large companies. Writes about it The Penny Hoarder.

Photo: Shutterstock

Settlement of a collective claim means that if you have suffered from the company's actions specified in the documents, but were not on the list of plaintiffs, you still have the right to compensation. So here are the biggest settlements in recent weeks.

Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales: packaging

Just Born, the producer of Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales, has agreed to a $ 3,3 million collective settlement over the fraudulent packaging allegations. The plaintiffs argued that the size of the boxes led them to believe that they were receiving more chocolates than they actually received.

If you purchased one or more cardboard boxes of Mike and Ike or Hot Tamales between February 3, 2013 and July 23, 2020, you may be eligible for cash or vouchers for free candy.

Vouchers can be used to receive one free box of Mike and Ike or Hot Tamales for every two boxes purchased. The maximum settlement is eight free boxes of chocolates.

To get money you need send a claim until November 10, 2020.

Nissan and Infiniti: peeling white paint

If you own a white painted Nissan Rogue or INFINITI QX56, you may be eligible for an extended warranty or compensation if you paid to repaint the vehicle.

The vehicles covered by the class action are white Nissan Rogues manufactured between January 11, 2013 and April 23, 2013 and white INFINITI QX56s manufactured between November 20, 2009 and December 12, 2012.

The owners of these vehicles stated that the paint was defective resulting in tarnishing and peeling. The plaintiffs argue that due to the premature paint failure, they had to pay out of pocket to repaint their cars.

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Nissan pleaded no wrongdoing, but agreed to a class action lawsuit that will cover repainting costs under a four-year extended warranty.

Vehicle owners who bring their insured vehicle to an authorized dealer will bear a portion of the repainting costs covered by Nissan, which offers 90% coverage for repaints during the first two years of the warranty and 70% coverage for repaints for the last two years.

Compensation and insurance coverage is capped at $ 400 for a Nissan Rogue repainting and $ 600 for an INFINITI QX56 repainting.

Apply before January 10, 2021, but remember to check the details first.

Suboxone: trade practice

You could benefit from a $ 60 million settlement of a dispute involving alleged trade violations committed by the manufacturer of Suboxone, a drug for opioid dependence.

The FTC has charged Indivior Inc. and its subsidiary, the Reckitt Benckiser Group, in preventing the cheaper generic Suboxone from competing with the brand. Just before the generic was released, the Reckitt Benckiser Group began marketing Suboxone as "less likely to cause side effects than the generic."

The anticompetitive lawsuit argued that the claim was misleading and aimed to force consumers to choose more expensive brand name pills over less expensive generics. Essentially suppressing business opportunities due to inappropriate trading behavior. The Reckitt Benckiser Group violated Title 5 of the FTC Act, the lawsuit said.

This group includes US patients who were prescribed Suboxone between March 1, 2013 and February 28, 2019.The amount of potential reward will depend on how long the consumer has taken Suboxone and how many applications have been made in total.

Send a request until December 1 of 2020 year.

Google+: data leak

If you used the social networking platform Google+, you could benefit from part of a class action lawsuit in the amount of $ 7,5 million over allegations that a user's personal profile information was disclosed to third-party app developers.

Google shut down Google+ in April 2019, but before the platform shut down, plaintiffs allege their names, email addresses, interests, relationships, photos and hometowns were leaked due to a serious data breach.

The group of those who can receive money includes those who had Google+ accounts between January 1, 2015 and April 2, 2019, as this was the time when personal information of users was revealed due to "software bugs ".

Google was accused of reporting that only 500 users were affected in a two-week period, but the lawsuit says the data breach actually took place for nearly three years, which means that many more users were likely compromised.

Team members who file a valid claim will receive a prorated share of the fund, up to $ 5 paid, but if settlement funds remain after the original disbursement, an additional distribution of up to $ 12 will be paid.

Application must be submitted until October 8, 2020

Freedom Boat Club: unwanted text messages

Freedom Boat Club agreed to settle allegations that the company violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending unsolicited text messages.

The nearly $ 1 million settlement agreement will benefit consumers who receive communications from or on behalf of the Freedom Boat Club between March 26, 2015 and June 25, 2020.

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The complaint says TCPA requires companies to obtain prior consent from cell phone users in order to legally send telemarketing text messages through the dialer.

Freedom Boat Club denies the allegations, but all parties agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid further costs and risks of further litigation.

The exact amounts of potential benefits for each applicant are unknown, but they are said to be around $ 7,25 and reportedly will not exceed $ 10,50 per person.

Follow this link to get full information and file a claim until 5 October 2020 year.

Five Below: data leak

Discount website Five Lower agreed to a $ 112 collective settlement in relation to claims that users suffered multiple data breaches in 000 and 2018.

The group includes consumers who made a purchase by credit or debit card on the Five below website on August 14, 2018; August 28, 2018; from about September 18, 2018 to September 19, 2018; and from November 13, 2018 to January 11, 2019.

The plaintiffs argue that the company failed to protect their information from unauthorized access, which put them at risk of fraud. Some plaintiffs claim that they suffered material damage.

Five Lower pleaded not wrong, but agreed to settle claims against them.

Applicants are eligible for payments of up to $ 250 to reimburse personal expenses and lost time incurred as a result of data breaches. The cost of lost time is $ 20 per hour, with a limit of five hours of documented lost time, or three hours excluding business hours if buyers are faced with fraudulent payments.

An additional charge of $ 22 may be paid for each credit or debit card that has documented fraudulent transactions as a result of a security breach.

Check out full details of costs covered and instructions for filing a claim form until 9 October 2020 year.

Thalomid and Revlimid: price fixing

You may be eligible for part of a $ 34 million class action settlement related to allegations that drugmaker Celgene implemented a price-fixing scheme to increase the cost of cancer drugs Thalomid and Revlimid.

Patients and third parties who paid for Thalomid and Revlimid in certain states may be considered affected if purchases were made at any time before May 20, 2020. Covered states include:

• California
• Columbia region
• Florida
• Kansas
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nebraska
• New York
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee

Cancer sufferers, their families and insurers have filed a class action lawsuit against Celgene, alleging that the pharmaceutical company conspired to prevent the less expensive generics of thalomid and revlimid from entering the market in order to continue to make more profit. As a result, the plaintiffs claim that they paid more for the drugs than they would otherwise have paid.

Celgene denies any wrongdoing, but agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid the ongoing costs and risks of litigation.

Applicants will be eligible for a prorated settlement fund after attorney fees have been paid from it; separate claim forms exist for consumers and third-party payers. The amount of the potential premium is currently unknown.

Find complete information and instructions for filing a claim until 15 October 2020 year.

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