January 2024 Class Action Settlements Involve Spirit Airlines, Equifax, Panda Express

A mother and daughter check their bags at the ticket counter for Spirit Airlines.
Travelers check in at the Spirit Airlines ticket counter at Manchester Boston Regional Airport, Friday, June 2, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. The airline will pay $8.25 million settlement to settle claims that it charged misleading carry-on bag fees despite promising consumers a free bag. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

You can submit a claim to 10 class action lawsuit settlements in December in order to receive cash payments! These settlements resolve claims of false advertising, privacy violations, defective products and more.

January 2024 Class Action Settlements

Deadlines are quickly approaching, so act fast.

Sick of companies ripping you off? Here's how to fight back against the worst offenders.

Spirit Airlines Carry-On Bag Fees $8.25M Class Action Settlement

Spirit Airlines agreed to a $8.25 million settlement to resolve claims that it charged deceptive carry-on bag fees despite promising consumers a free bag.

The settlement benefits consumers who booked a Spirit Airlines flight through Expedia, Kiwi, CheapOair, CheapTickets, Travelocity or Bookit between Aug. 31, 2011 and May 3, 2017, for a flight that was the class member’s first flight on Spirit after Aug. 1, 2010 and who paid a carry-on bag fee.

Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit claim they were promised one free carry-on bag without additional fees when they booked a Spirit Airlines flight through online travel agents. Despite these promises, Spirit Airlines allegedly charged passengers fees for their carry-on bags when they arrived at the airport.

To receive a settlement payment, passengers must submit a valid claim form by Jan. 10, 2024.

USDA $2.2B Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP)

The farmers can benefit from a $2.2 billion financial assistance program if they experienced discrimination when applying for farm loans with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The settlement benefits farmers and ranchers who experienced discrimination at the hands of the USDA when applying for certain farm loans administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) before Jan. 1, 2021.

Loan applicants may have experienced discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, tribal citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, marital status, disability and more. USDA discrimination may have resulted in a lack of appropriate assistance, delays in loan processing, adverse terms or loan denials.

Farmers and ranchers must submit an application by Jan. 13, 2024, to receive payments under the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program.

Equifax Data Breach Class Action Settlement

Equifax agreed to pay $380.5 million to resolve claims that it failed to prevent a 2017 data breach that compromised the information of 147 million consumers.

The settlement benefits individuals whose information was compromised in the 2017 Equifax data breach.

Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit claim Equifax could have prevented the data breach by implementing reasonable cybersecurity measures to protect consumer information. The data breach was the largest financial breach in American history and compromised information of nearly half the country’s population.

To receive a settlement payment, class members must submit a valid claim form by Jan. 22, 2024.

Panda Express Delivery Fees $1.4M Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

Panda Express agreed to a $1.4 million class action lawsuit settlement to resolve claims that it charged deceptive, unexpected service fees on delivery orders.

The settlement benefits Panda Express customers who placed a delivery order through the restaurant chain’s website or mobile app between Jan. 17, 2020 and Feb. 16, 2022, and were charged a service fee on their delivery order.

According to the class action lawsuit, Panda Express misled consumers about the fees they would incur when placing delivery orders. As a result, Panda Express customers were allegedly caught off guard when they were charged surprise service fees on their deliveries.

The deadline to submit a claim in the settlement is Jan. 10, 2024.

An Apple gift card is displayed as a person shops at an Apple Store.
A person shops in an Apple store on Black Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in New York. Apple will pay $1.8 million to settle claims regarding failure to secure gift cards. This caused consumers to lose the value of their gift card when it was stolen. Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo

Apple Gift Cards $1.8M Class Action Settlement

Apple agreed to pay $1.8 million to resolve claims that it failed to secure its gift cards, causing consumers to lose the value of their gift cards when the card values were stolen.

The settlement benefits consumers who purchased Apple gift cards between March 2018 and July 2020 whose gift card values were stolen by an unknown third party and who were not offered a refund or replacement.

Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit claim Apple misrepresented the security and value of its gift cards by allowing unauthorized third parties to steal the value of its gift cards from their rightful owners. Consumers argue they were not warned that the gift cards could be stolen and were not offered a refund or replacement for their stolen cards.

In order to receive a settlement payment, consumers must submit a valid claim form by Jan. 17, 2024.

Fortnite $245M FTC Settlement Refunds

Fornite agreed to pay $245 million to resolve a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit that claimed Epic Games tricked young players into making large purchases on their parents’ cards.

The settlement benefits consumers who were charged for Fortnite in-game currency to purchase items they didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022.

The FTC claimed that Epic Games intentionally allowed children to make large in-game purchases on their parents and guardians’ credit cards — only to lock the accounts of consumers who later disputed the charges. According to the FTC, these unfair business practices violated federal law.

The deadline to submit a claim in the settlement is Jan. 17, 2024.

Snap Finance data breach $1.8M class action settlement

Snap Finance reached a $1.8 million settlement to resolve claims that a 2022 data breach compromised sensitive customer data.

The settlement benefits consumers who received a data breach notification letter from Snap Finance informing them that their information may have been compromised in a data breach that occurred between June 23 and Sept. 8, 2022.

According to the class action lawsuit, Snap Finance failed to prevent a 2022 data breach that compromised the information of over 60,000 of its customers. The plaintiffs claim that the data breach directly resulted from Snap Finance’s negligence.

To receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Jan. 16, 2024.

Family Dollar warehouse pest infestation class action settlement

Family Dollar agreed to a class action lawsuit settlement to resolve claims that some of its products were contaminated due to a pest infestation in its Arkansas warehouse.

The settlement benefits Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee residents who purchased any product from a Family Dollar store in Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri or Tennessee that was serviced by the West Memphis Distribution Center between Jan. 1, 2020 and Feb. 18, 2022.

Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit claim that Family Dollar’s West Memphis warehouse was infested with rodents. According to the class action lawsuit, consumers were sold contaminated products by Family Dollar in various states serviced by the Arkansas warehouse.

The deadline to submit a claim in the settlement is Jan. 9, 2024.

Mueller kitchen products false advertising $800K class action settlement

Aterian agreed to pay $800,000 to resolve claims that Mueller kitchen products are falsely advertised as being “made in Austria.”

The settlement benefits consumers who purchased Mueller kitchen products between Dec. 9, 2018 and Aug. 23, 2023.

Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit claim Mueller products are advertised with misleading statements that the products are “made in Austria” and intentional imagery using the Austrian flag. According to the class action lawsuit, the products are allegedly not made in Austria and the advertisements only deceive consumers and trick them into paying higher prices.

To receive a settlement payment, consumers must submit a valid claim form by Jan. 30, 2024.