The California residents will receive compensation from Thomson Reuters under the class action privacy settlement. The US District Court has preliminarily approved the CLEAR privacy settlement on 11 October 2024, the eligible residents can check the claim form details here.
California Resident Settlement
The law firms Cohen Milstein Sellers and Gibbs Law Group have filed the lawsuit against Thomson Reuters on behalf of former and current California residents. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants have sold the customer’s personal information through their product CLEAR or made it available for sale.
The class action lawsuit claims that the defendants have violated California’s privacy law by indulging in such practices of selling their resident’s personal information without the authorization of the customers. The defendants have denied any unlawful activity and proposed a settlement of $27.5 million to eligible class members.
The Northern District of California has preliminary approved the settlement and the settlement administrator has released the settlement notice under the Court authorization. Most of the class members may have received the notice. The class members who wish to receive the compensation should submit their claim form before the deadline, 06 December 2024.
California Resident Settlement Important Dates
The California residents interested in the Brooks V. Thomson Reuters can mark the important dates or deadlines to exercise their legal rights under the settlement:
California CLEAR Privacy settlement Events | Dates |
Claim Form Deadline | 06 Dec 2024 |
Exclude yourself from / object to the settlement | 06 Dec 2024 |
Final Approval Hearing | 13 Feb 2025 |
Who can claim the California Resident Settlement?
Under the California Resident settlement over the CLEAR privacy violation, people who meet the below eligibility requirement will be the class members of the settlement who can claim the settlement:
- People who lived in California between a period of 03 December 2016 and 31 October 2024.
- People who were aged 18 or over during the class period may be entitled to receive the compensation.
How much can you receive through California Resident Settlement?
The class member of the CLEAR privacy settlement who filed the valid claim before the deadline would receive compensation from the net settlement fund not from the gross settlement fund of $27.5 million. The net settlement fund is the remaining amount of the settlement after the following expenses or pay are deducted from the gross settlement fund:
- Attorney’s fees approved by the court: According to the settlement agreement, it will be 25% ($6,875,000) of the settlement fund.
- Litigation Cost: The amount of litigating the case in the court incurred by the Attorney will be not more than $700,000.
- Cost of settlement administration: The expense of administering the settlement will be deducted, it is expected to be around $485,000.
- Class Representative Service Award: The Californian Shabazz and Brooks who filed this case on behalf of all the residents will receive $5000 each.
After the above expenses are deducted from the gross settlement fund, the class members will get compensation for the remaining amount. The amount of payout from the remaining fund will depend on the number of valid claimants, net settlement fund, and other factors.
The settlement administration has estimated the amount that class members can receive via the settlement. As per the estimation, the valid claimants of the CLEAR privacy settlement will receive a payout between $19 and $48.
How to claim the California Resident Settlement?
The former and current California residents who meet the settlement requirements can claim the $27.5 million settlement through the following ways:
- Online: You can go to the official website of CLEAR Privacy Settlement at https://clearprivacysettlement.com/ and click the submit claim on the right-hand side of the website. On the new page, you must enter your information, such as name, address, ZIP code, email address, etc., select the payment method, and attest the claim form before clicking on the Submit button.
- Offline: You can download the Claim form of the CLEAR Privacy Settlement from the settlement website and fill in the form with valid details. Now, post the claim form to the CLEAR Privacy settlement address:
- CLEAR Privacy Settlement
- c/ o Settlement Administrator
- 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210
- Philadelphia PA 19103
The class members should remember to sign the claim form declaring they have lived in California during the class period. The members who provide false information will have to face legal action, so enter the right information only.
When will you receive the California Resident Settlement payout?
The CLEAR Privacy settlement class members who have filed valid claims will receive the settlement payout within 180 days after the final approval of the settlement. The Court will grant the final approval of the settlement based on its fairness and reliability on 13 February 2025.
After the final approval, the settlement administrator will process the payment to the claimants with valid claims. The payment date may vary for the valid claimants based on their chosen payment method. The electronic payment method applicants will receive the payout earlier than the physical check as it can take time for the mailing service to deliver your physical settlement check.
The electronic payment methods available for the CLEAR privacy settlement payout are Zelle, Virtual Prepaid Card, or Venmo. The claimants can select the method at their convenience. The payment can be delayed if someone appeals the court approval and the distribution of the settlement fund can stop until the appeal is resolved.
The CLEAR privacy settlement has got the preliminary settlement approval, the claim form is out. The eligible California residents or former residents can submit the claim form before 06 Dec 2024 to receive the settlement between $19 and $48.