StarKist Class Action Lawsuit
Settlements totaling $152.2 million resolved a lawsuit that said tuna makers conspired to keep the price of canned and pouched tuna high from 2011 to 2015. The deadline to file a claim passed on December 31, 2024.
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Where the StarKist settlement stands
The claim deadline passed on December 31, 2024. New claims for this settlement are no longer being accepted.
Eligible payments from this settlement have been sent. New claims can no longer be filed.
Filed this claim with Chimo? The status of your claim is on the claims page in your account.
Settlements you can still claim in October, 2026
Tyson, Clemens, Seaboard, Hormel & Triumph
$30
Flo Period Tracker
$700
NAR & Real Estate Brokerages
$300
StarKist Class Action Lawsuit
If you bought canned or pouched tuna at the grocery store between June 2011 and July 2015, this lawsuit was about what you paid for it.
The shoppers who sued, called End Payer Plaintiffs in the case, alleged that the tuna makers took part in an unlawful conspiracy to raise, fix or hold the price of packaged tuna at an artificially high level. That, the lawsuit said, broke antitrust laws, which are the laws that make it illegal for competitors to agree on prices instead of competing, and state unfair competition laws.
The case is In re Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 15-MD-2670, in federal court. In July 2019 the court certified a class of shoppers, meaning it allowed the case to go forward on behalf of everyone in the group, and chose Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP as class counsel, the lawyers who represent the whole group. The defendants appealed. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision on April 8, 2022, and on November 14, 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review it.
StarKist, DWI and the Lion Companies deny many of the allegations and have asserted defenses. According to the settlement website, they agreed to settle to avoid further litigation, the risk of a jury verdict against them, and the cost of a trial.
StarKist Class Action Settlement - $152,200,000
The shoppers reached settlements with StarKist, DWI and the Lion Companies, on top of an earlier settlement the website calls the COSI Settlement. Together the settlements total $152.2 million, according to the settlement website.
A settlement is an agreement, not a court finding. The companies deny many of the allegations and agreed to settle to avoid further litigation and the risk of a trial.
The court held its approval hearing on November 22, 2024 and approved the StarKist and Lion settlements the same day. The deadline to file a claim was December 31, 2024. Anyone who had already filed a claim in the COSI Settlement did not need to file again.
The settlement website says a bank processing problem stopped some class members from cashing their checks. In September 2026 the website said replacement checks would be mailed by the end of that month, each with an extra $20 to help cover bank fees.
Claims closed: December 31, 2024
Canned Tuna Price-Fixing Class Action Payout: $17-$2000+
Canned Tuna Price-Fixing Class Action Eligibility
The StarKist and Lion settlement covered people and businesses who bought packaged tuna in cans or pouches smaller than 40 ounces, for their own use rather than to resell, between June 1, 2011 and July 1, 2015. The tuna had to be made by one of the defendants, one of their current or former subsidiaries or affiliates, or an alleged co-conspirator.
The buyer also had to live in one of these places: Arizona, Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia or Wisconsin.
Meal kits did not count. People who had already opted out of the COSI Settlement or the certified class were not included. Businesses that bought tuna directly from the makers have a separate case at TunaDirectPurchaserCase.com.
FAQ
No. The deadline to file a claim was December 31, 2024, and it has passed. If you did not file by then, and did not file in the earlier COSI Settlement, you will not receive a payment from these settlements, but you are still bound by the court's judgment.
No. According to the settlement website, anyone who already filed a claim in the COSI Settlement did not need to file another claim to be considered for payment from the StarKist and Lion settlements.
The settlement website says a bank processing problem stopped some checks from being cashed. In September 2026 it said replacement checks would be mailed by the end of that month, each with an extra $20 toward bank fees. Do not re-deposit the original check. If your bank charged you more than $20, email info@TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com.
Contact the settlement administrator, JND Legal Administration, through the Tuna End Purchaser Case website at TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com, by phone at 866-615-0977, or by email at info@TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com. They are the only ones who can see the status of your claim.
No. StarKist, DWI and the Lion Companies deny many of the allegations and have asserted defenses. A settlement is an agreement to end the case, not a finding by the court that the companies did what the lawsuit said.