Settlement Notices

How class action settlement payments arrive, and when

Updated · Sources

A settlement pays the way its own agreement and notice say, by paper check, prepaid card or a digital payment sent by email, and usually only after the court's approval can no longer be appealed. The amount can move up or down from the figure in the notice, and checks and payment links stop working on dates each settlement sets for itself.

Two hands passing a yellow paper check out of a green envelope.

Where your settlement writes its payment rules

Three documents, all on the official settlement website or in the court record, answer most payment questions. The settlement agreement defines the "Effective Date", when payments go out after it, how long a check stays valid and where uncollected money goes. The claim form prints any payment choices. The website's FAQ posts payment dates, payment senders and reissue rules once payments start. Where a tracker or news story differs, these documents govern.

How the money arrives

The methods on offer are set by each settlement. Some offer a choice: the claim form in the Oracle data privacy settlement (Katz-Lacabe v. Oracle America, N.D. Cal.) printed four lines to tick, "Venmo - Mobile number on account", "Zelle - Email address or Mobile number on account", "Virtual Prepaid Card - Email address for delivery" and "Physical Check - Payment will be mailed to the address provided above" (Claim Form (Oracle data privacy settlement)). The Zoom privacy agreement named digital methods (“PayPal, Venmo, digital payment card” U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal.checked October 1, 2026) alongside checks. Others narrow the menu: the ECL privacy breach FAQ told recipients that the digital payment options it presented were the only options available, and that a paper check option might be available to anyone who wanted none of them Settlement website, ECL Privacy Breach Litigationchecked October 1, 2026, archived copy of October 12, 2025.

Federal Trade Commission refunds, which are not class actions, follow the same pattern: the FTC says it currently pays by check, prepaid debit card, PayPal and Zelle Federal Trade Commissionchecked October 1, 2026.

What a real payment email looks like

In the Epiq cases read for this page, a digital payment came in steps. In the Zoom settlement, the official FAQ said that a prepayment notification email a few days before the email with the payment link was normal Zoom Video Communications Litigation settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026. The link opened a page where you picked a method; then a payment company sent its own follow-up emails, under a name the class member may never have heard of.

Payment senders named by administrators and case websites
NameWho names itWhat the official source says
EpiqPayEpiq case websites (Zoom, ECL) and Epiq's own siteThe Zoom FAQ calls it “the official digital payment platform for Epiq Class Action and Claims Solutions” Zoom Video Communications Litigation settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026. An email from its sender address, the FAQ says, was sent because you were determined to be eligible for a payment. Epiq says the settlement fund is debited only after the payee makes a selection Epiqchecked October 1, 2026.
TremendousThe Zoom and ECL case FAQs; the vendor's own siteThe FAQ describes “follow-up emails from our payment partner, Tremendous” Zoom Video Communications Litigation settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026. The vendor's site lists legal disbursements among its services, sending funds to claimants (Tremendous - Gift Card & Rewards Platform for Businesses).
Digital DisbursementsThe Volino settlement FAQ (a site that credits Epiq); the vendor's own siteThe FAQ asks class members to search their inbox for noreply@digitaldisbursements.com Volino v. Progressive settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026. The vendor offers Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, ACH/Direct Deposit and Amazon Digital Disbursementschecked October 1, 2026, and says it “does not touch, commingle or control any funds.”
Digital PayPortalA.B. Data's own siteA portal with “over 250 digital payment options” A.B. Datachecked October 1, 2026.
Verita's payment platformsVerita Global's own siteVerita lists direct payments via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or Amazon using the claimant's email address or mobile number Verita Globalchecked October 1, 2026.
FTC refunds paid by PayPalThe FTC's refund FAQThe advance email comes from “an address that ends with .gov” Federal Trade Commissionchecked October 1, 2026.

A vendor's name proves nothing alone: the same vendors work for many administrators. The confirmation is on the settlement's own website and at the phone number printed in the court-approved notice; our notice check builds those links from what your message shows. For FTC refunds, the FTC's own advice is: do not click links in emails that seem to be from the FTC or PayPal; type the website address Federal Trade Commissionchecked October 1, 2026.

When payment comes: approval is not the start

After the judge approves a settlement, anyone with the right to appeal has 30 days Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law Schoolchecked October 1, 2026 after the judgment to file a notice of appeal, or 60 days when the United States is a party (Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 4). Each settlement agreement then defines its own "Effective Date". The Zoom agreement set it at one business day after the time to appeal expires or appeals finish, and required payments within 45 calendar days U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal.checked October 1, 2026 after it. If an objector appeals, the clock waits for the appeal. What the hearing itself decides is on our deadlines page.

Payment timing runs from the agreement's Effective Date, not from the final approval hearing.

Why the amount can change: pro rata

"Pro rata" means in proportion. Many settlements put a fixed sum in a fund and divide it among the approved claims, so the figure in a notice is a starting point. When approved claims add up to more than the fund, the Zoom agreement provided for payments reduced pro rata U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal.checked October 1, 2026, and the Essen Medical data breach FAQ for payments adjusted downward proportionally among approved claims Settlement website, Rivera v. Essen Medical Associates, P.C., No. 801239/2024Echecked October 1, 2026, archived copy of March 26, 2026. When they add up to less, some agreements raise payments; Zoom's rule was paid-subscription claims increased pro rata up to two times the approved amount. For money left in uncashed checks, Zoom's rule was that uncashed funds go to a second pro rata distribution if feasible U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal.checked October 1, 2026. FTC refunds follow the same idea: in most FTC cases, “each recipient receives an equal percentage of his or her total loss” Federal Trade Commissionchecked October 1, 2026, and money that cannot be distributed is sent to the U.S. Treasury.

A claim must be approved before it is paid. The Oracle claim form said that submission of the form did not guarantee payment and the form had to be approved by the claims administrator Settlement website, Katz-Lacabe v. Oracle America, Inc., No. 3:22-cv-04792checked October 1, 2026. It also told claimants to notify the administrator if contact or payment information changes.

Checks and payment links expire

There is no single rule for how long a settlement check stays good; each settlement sets its own period:

Reissues are possible in some cases, for a limited time. In the ECL settlement, written reissue requests had to be sent by February 11, 2025 Settlement website, ECL Privacy Breach Litigationchecked October 1, 2026, archived copy of October 12, 2025 and could take “up to 6 weeks” to process. The FTC reissues only if money is still available, and when a check replaces a PayPal payment it waits at least 45 days Federal Trade Commissionchecked October 1, 2026 from the first payment date.

An unused payment link is not always lost. In Zoom, digital payments could be claimed through September 28, 2023 Zoom Video Communications Litigation settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026; after that, the FAQ said, an award check is mailed automatically after the selection period. Other cases work differently, so the case FAQ is the place to look.

What the FTC found about claims and cashed checks

A Federal Trade Commission staff report dated September 2019 Federal Trade Commission, staff reportchecked October 1, 2026, which the agency called preliminary, studied 149 consumer class action cases supplied by large administrators. It describes those cases, not today's settlements, and each figure belongs to the group it was measured on.

FTC staff report: consumer class actions with a claims process
MeasureWhat the report found
Median claims rate9% (weighted by the number of people notified: 4%)
Claims rate, notice sent as a packet with a claim formapproximately 10%
Claims rate, notice mainly by postcard, and by emailabout 6% (postcards) and 3% (email)
Submitted claims approved86%
Average check cashing rate77%
Payment per claimantIn half the settlements, the median claimant received $69 or more

For the FTC's own refund programs the same report gives other numbers: claims from 5% to 20% of potential claimants, and about 95% of claimants cashing their checks; where the FTC mails checks to a known customer list, 67% of eligible recipients cash them. Some websites quote other percentages for email, postcard and packet notices; the table gives the ones printed in the report.

How it worked in three real settlements

Each is drawn from its own official website or agreement.

Zoom privacy settlement: approval, two appeals, then payment

Zoom agreed to pay $85 million (In re Zoom Video Communications, Inc. Privacy Litigation, N.D. Cal.; administrator Epiq). Final approval came on April 21, 2022 Settlement website, In re Zoom Video Communications, Inc. Privacy Litigationchecked October 1, 2026. Objectors appealed: the first appeal was settled and approval affirmed on December 16, 2022, and the second was dismissed on April 1, 2023. The Effective Date was April 3, 2023, and payments began on May 18, 2023, at the end of the agreement's 45 calendar days. A basic user claim was $15 U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal.checked October 1, 2026, subject to the pro rata rules.

Volino v. Progressive: no claim needed, three payments

Here (S.D.N.Y.; the website credits Epiq), class members who did nothing were paid. First payments began on May 12, 2025, by Digital Disbursements where the records held an email address and otherwise by mailed check; unsuccessful or unclaimed digital payments were mailed as checks starting July 11, 2025. The average first payment was $383.16 Volino v. Progressive settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026. Money from uncashed first payments funded a second payment on November 4, 2025, averaging $176.31, sent only to people who had received or cashed the first. A third payment of $12.55 went out on May 1, 2026. For anyone who missed the second round, the FAQ's answer was: no further payment and no reissue of the second payment.

East Palestine train derailment: approved, then held up by appeals

The court gave final approval on September 27, 2024 Settlement website, In re East Palestine Train Derailment, No. 4:23-CV-00242checked October 1, 2026, archived copy of March 6, 2026 (N.D. Ohio). In an archived copy of the case FAQ from March 2026, objectors petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court after a Sixth Circuit judgment in November 2025. The FAQ said the appeal would delay payment of the Direct Payment and Business Loss Claims until the appeal was fully resolved; it said the appeal did not affect the personal injury payments. An archived copy of the case website's home page from April 2026 then reported that the appeals were resolved on March 2, 2026 Settlement website, In re East Palestine Train Derailment, No. 4:23-CV-00242checked October 1, 2026, archived copy of April 27, 2026 and that, under the settlement terms, “Direct Payment and Business Loss Payments can now proceed.” The case website has the current status.

What to do next, and who can help for free

  1. Find your settlement's official website on your notice or in the court record, and read its FAQ for the payment dates, the methods and the names of any payment senders.
  2. If an email about a payment arrives, compare it with that FAQ and confirm through the phone number in the court-approved notice. Our notice check walks through the steps.
  3. For a missing, expired or misaddressed payment, the settlement administrator named on the official website handles reissues, where the settlement allows them.
  4. For questions about your rights under the settlement, the class counsel named in the notice represent the class; the court clerk can tell you what is on the docket, and a legal aid office may help if you qualify.
  5. Whether a payment is taxable is covered on our settlement taxes page.

Sources

  1. Zoom Video Communications Litigation - HomeSettlement website, In re Zoom Video Communications, Inc. Privacy Litigation
  2. Volino v. Progressive Class Cert - Frequently Asked QuestionsVolino v. Progressive settlement website
  3. ECL Privacy Breach Litigation - Frequently Asked Questions (archived copy)Settlement website, ECL Privacy Breach Litigation, archived copy of October 12, 2025
  4. In re: East Palestine Train Derailment - Frequently Asked Questions (archived copy)Settlement website, In re East Palestine Train Derailment, No. 4:23-CV-00242, archived copy of March 6, 2026
  5. Claim Form (Oracle data privacy settlement)Settlement website, Katz-Lacabe v. Oracle America, Inc., No. 3:22-cv-04792
  6. Class Action Settlement Agreement and Release, In re Zoom Video Communications, Inc. Privacy LitigationU.S. District Court, N.D. Cal.
  7. Refund Programs: Frequently Asked QuestionsFederal Trade Commission
  8. Frequently Asked Questions, In re Zoom Video Communications, Inc. Privacy LitigationZoom Video Communications Litigation settlement website
  9. EpiqPay - Claimant Payments in Class Action CasesEpiq
  10. Tremendous - Gift Card & Rewards Platform for BusinessesTremendous
  11. Digital Disbursements - HomeDigital Disbursements
  12. A.B. Data's Digital PayPortalA.B. Data
  13. Settlement administration (US)Verita Global
  14. Fed. R. App. P. 4, Appeal as of right: when takenLegal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
  15. Essen Medical Data Breach - Frequently Asked Questions (archived copy)Settlement website, Rivera v. Essen Medical Associates, P.C., No. 801239/2024E, archived copy of March 26, 2026
  16. Consumers and Class Actions: A Retrospective and Analysis of Settlement Campaigns (preliminary report, September 2019)Federal Trade Commission, staff report
  17. In re: East Palestine Train Derailment - Home (archived copy)Settlement website, In re East Palestine Train Derailment, No. 4:23-CV-00242, archived copy of April 27, 2026

Each source listed here was read on .