Verizon users, some current and former, may be eligible for a chunk of change connected to a recently-settled class action lawsuit filed against the wireless provider over administrative charges if they take action before mid-April.
The company will hand out up to $100 million in total under the terms of the proposed settlement it reached in mid-November in the case Esposito et al. v. Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless, according to court filings. It did not include an admission of wrongdoing or liability.
The portion of the settlement that eligible individuals will receive is expected to vary, with the base set at $15 with an additional $1 added on for each month they were subject to the administrative fee that prompted plaintiffs to sue, the settlement administrative website said. The payments are currently capped at $100 per account holder.
To get a cut of the $100 million settlement, claimants must be "current or former individual consumer account holders in the United States . . . who received postpaid wireless or data services from Verizon and who were charged and paid an Administrative Charge and/or an Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge between January 1, 2016, and November 8, 2023," the settlement site said.
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Affected parties must submit their claims no later than April 15. They have two methods they can choose from: online or mail.
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Failing to make a claim by that deadline would result in no chance for an eligible person to get paid, as well as the forfeiture of the ability to take legal action related to the case at a later date, according to the settlement website.
The amount of money that people could receive could change, based on how many valid claims ultimately come in.
The deadline to forgo the settlement has a closer deadline than claim submissions, with the option to opt out available until February 20.
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In the lawsuit that Verizon settled, it claimed the company "falsely advertis[ed] its wireless services at lower monthly rates than it actually charges customers by not disclosing, and not including in the advertised price" the monthly administrative charge that it "imposes each month on every line purchased by its post-paid wireless service customers."
"Verizon clearly identifies and describes its wireless consumer Admin Charge multiple times during the sales transaction, as well as in its marketing, contracts and billing. This charge helps our company recover certain regulatory compliance, and network related costs. As always, our Company stands committed to transparency and the clear disclosure of all consumer charges and fees," Verizon spokesperson Rich Young told FOX Business.
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The settlement website noted that Verizon "will amend its Customer Agreement to include revised Administrative Charge disclosures." Those were "jointly prepared and agreed upon" by both parties, according to the settlement.
In March, the proposed settlement will face a fairness hearing for approval. After that, eligible customers who filed claims will start getting their payment.
