10 Class-Action Settlements That Could You Get Free Money

You hear about class action lawsuits all the time This one here filed against Apple (based on a Gizmodo story!)or this other against Apple (or This one here or This one here). One reason is that they are so lucrative for lawyers; A “class” is a group of people who have the same grievance against a company, meaning there’s a lot of money at stake if the company loses or settles.

But whyIf there is money on the table, there is no guarantee that you will receive a payment. It is often up to qualifying members of that class to file a claim. It can be as simple as filling out a quick form online. Please do not lie on these forms as they are legal documents. You should also be aware that by joining the course you waive the right to bring your own separate lawsuit.

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

Payouts are split among qualifying class members, so unless the damage was extreme (think serious injury or major financial loss), you shouldn’t normally expect much. But cash is cash. Sometimes it’s even deposited directly into your PayPal account.

Here are lawsuits we’ve found with large classes for many Gizmodo readers to attend. We’re talking about people who bought MacBooks with butterfly keyboards, the 147 million people affected by the Equifax data breach, shoppers of certain Nestle coffee creamers, and more. (If you are outside of the US, I can’t help you but At least your healthcare system is better than ours.)