Trader Joe’s shoppers have just days left to claim up to $102
If you shopped at Trader Joe’s in mid-2019, you have until Tuesday to file a claim to be included in a $7.4 million class action lawsuit brought against the popular grocery chain. But be forewarned: Qualifying for the settlement isn’t so straightforward. The settlement, announced earlier this year, stems from a lawsuit first brought in 2019 by plaintiff Brian Keim, who alleged that Trader Joe’s had violated the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA). Though the Monrovia, California-based grocer has denied his claims it agreed to a settlement related to a roughly 18-week period between March and July 2019 when Trader Joe’s said the payment processing software caused some receipts at select locations to display the first six and last four digits of customers’ credit or debit card numbers. In the years since the plaintiff first sued the company, Trader Joe’s said in a court filing that no customers have reported that they’ve been the victim of identity theft related to the conduct alleged in the case. That said, identity theft isn’t required to prove a FACTA claim. WHO QUALIFIES FOR A PAYOUT While you may have shopped at Trader Joe’s between March 5 and July 19, 2019, only a very limited number of customers will qualify for a settlement payout. The plaintiff’s legal team notified 757,663 people by email or postcard that they were flagged as potentially affected—though a claim must still be submitted to qualify. If you happen to have some old Trader Joe’s receipts lying around from that period, that may be another way to qualify. Affected customers can file a claim online through the settlement website. Trader Joe’s loyalists who aren’t sure whether they’re included may also call the settlement hotline at 1-888-444-7415. HOW MUCH CUSTOMERS WILL RECEIVE Multimillion-dollar class action lawsuits may get some customers excited about potential payouts, but the amounts may often seem rather meager—even in a case with rather limited scope. The per-person payout for