Walmart allegedly bamboozled its customers with falsely labeled products, and you may be able to benefit from a class action lawsuit settlement over it.
Walmart has agreed to pay out $45 million as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit filed in Florida in 2022 that alleges the mammoth retail chain deliberately subjected customers to “systemic and unfair business practices,” according to court paperwork.
Here’s what you should know about the allegations, which products were involved and how to file a claim to receive payment.
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What are the allegations against Walmart?
The lawsuit alleges that Walmart participated in several deceptive pricing tactics.
For example, the chain typically affixes pricing stickers to all its products, including those sold by weight. Some of those by-weight items were displayed with sale stickers showing a lower price. Customers buying those products rightfully expected they’d pay the lowest advertised price for that item — but they ended up paying a higher price at the register instead, the lawsuit alleged.
Walmart denies any wrongdoing related to the lawsuit, according to the settlement website.
“We still deny the allegations, however we believe a settlement is in the best interest of both parties,” a Walmart spokesperson said Tuesday.
“Walmart uses unfair and deceptive business practices to deceivingly, misleadingly, and unjustly pilfer, to Walmart’s financial benefit, its customers’ hard-earned grocery dollars,” the plaintiff in the lawsuit alleged in paperwork.
Which Walmart products were affected?
A number of weighted meat and citrus products are included in the lawsuit, including the following:
- Beef, chicken, pork and turkey products
- Miscellaneous meat products, like duck, goat and lamb
- Fish products
For a full list of included meat products, go to Walmartweightedgroceriessettlement.com.
The following bagged citrus products were included:
- Oranges, organic and non-organic
- Organic grapefruit
- Tangerines
For a full list of the included bagged citrus products, go to Walmartweightedgroceriessettlement.com.
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Am I eligible to file a claim?
If you bought any of the above products at U.S. or Puerto Rico Walmart stores between Oct. 19, 2018 to Jan. 19, 2024, you may be eligible to file a claim.
The maximum compensation for any one person is $500.
How do I file a claim?
To file a claim, submit your information to the settlement website at Walmartweightedgroceriessettlement.com.
You must submit a claim to receive a payment. You don’t have to have receipts detailing which products you bought in order to file a claim.
If you do nothing, you will still be included in the settlement, but you will not get a payment.
You must file a claim online or postmarked by mail by June 5, 2024. You can file online, or download a form and mail it to the Claims Administrator at:
Walmart Weighted Groceries Settlement, c/o Claims Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103
If you’d like to exclude yourself from the settlement, you must do so by May 22, 2024 by sending a written notice to:
Walmart Weighted Groceries Settlement, Attn: Exclusions, P.O. Box 58220, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Your request must be signed; state your full name, current address, email address, and telephone number; and contain a statement that you request to be excluded from the settlement.
You could also object to the settlement without being excluded. For more information on that, go to Walmartweightedgroceriessettlement.com.
What happens now?
The settlement, including the eligible claims submitted and the exact amount of payout for customers, will be considered by a judge at a final June 12, 2024 hearing.
The judge will then finalize the terms of the settlement — and there is no exact timeline on when that decision will be made, the settlement website notes.
There could still be appeals after this hearing, and even if there aren’t, it may take several months for payouts to be processed. Payments would be sent electronically to accounts provided by claimants, or through a paper check, if requested, according to the settlement website.