Class Action Settlements: Could You Be Owed Money? A Guide to Filing Before the Deadline

It is a peculiar thing, isn't it? We spend our days meticulously tracking our grocery budgets, our streaming subscriptions, our coffee habits. Yet, when a company settles a class action lawsuit—and potentially owes us money—we often miss the notice entirely. It ends up in the spam folder, or we simply assume it's a scam.

Well, I am here to tell you that several significant settlements are now in their final payment stages, and the deadlines are alarmingly close. As a Canadian who has spent years teaching about consumer rights and financial prudence, I find it both fascinating and frustrating how often people leave money on the table. Let's break down what you need to know, and more importantly, how you can actually get your share.

The Settlements You Need to Know About

According to a recent report from Top Class Actions, a publication that tracks these lawsuits, several cases from 2014 through 2024 are now reaching their payout phase. The deadlines are this month—June 2026. So, if you have a few minutes, it is worth checking your eligibility.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the "Big Bad Cough" Campaign

This one is rather interesting. Biopharma giant GSK settled a class action lawsuit over a misleading advertising campaign for its whooping cough vaccine, Boostrix. The campaign, called "Big Bad Cough," ran between 2015 and 2020 and featured advertisements with wolves. The lawsuit claimed the ads falsely suggested the vaccine could prevent the spread of whooping cough.

The settlement (DeCostanzo v. GlaxoSmithKline plc et al.) applies to those who viewed GSK's, "Big Bad Cough" campaign between May 20, 2016, and May 20, 2020, and either lived in New York or received Boostrix in New York.

If you qualify, you can receive $50 with proof of vaccination, or $10 without. The deadline is June 8, 2026. That is tomorrow, folks.

Trader Joe's and the Misprinted Receipts

This one hits close to home for anyone who has ever worried about identity theft. Trader Joe's agreed to pay $7.4 million to settle a class action lawsuit claiming it violated the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act in 2019. The issue? A software malfunction caused certain stores to print receipts that included the first six and last four digits of your credit card number, along with expiration dates and addresses.

Plaintiff Brian Keim sued the grocery chain. The settlement applies to those who purchased items at Trader Joe's with their credit or debit card between March 5, 2019, and July 19, 2019. The estimated payment is $102.45. The deadline is June 9, 2026.

Complete Payroll Solutions and the 2024 Data Breach

This one is particularly relevant for small business owners and their employees. Complete Payroll Solutions (CPS) agreed to pay $2.6 million for a class action lawsuit claiming it failed to prevent a data breach around March 10, 2024, that compromised employee information. If you or your team used CPS, you may be eligible for a claim.

The Practical Problem: Keeping Track of Your Claims

Now, here is where I get a bit pedantic. One of the biggest challenges with these settlements is proving your eligibility. For the Trader Joe's case, you need to remember which store you visited and when. For the GSK case, you need proof of vaccination. For the data breach case, you need to know if your information was compromised.

This is precisely where a tool like ccLuca becomes invaluable. Think about it: you snap a photo of a receipt, and the AI extracts the data in three seconds. You can generate expense reports instantly. But more than that, you can search your own history. Did you shop at Trader Joe's in July 2019? Did you get a vaccine in New York in 2018? If you had been tracking your expenses—even casually—you would have the answer in seconds.

The expenses you forget to claim could buy you an iPhone every year. No IT. No enterprise software. Just you and your expenses, sorted.

I am not saying you should buy an iPhone with your settlement money. But I am saying that being organized about your financial records—whether for tax purposes, reimbursement, or class action claims—is a habit worth cultivating.

How to Apply

If you think you qualify for any of these settlements, here is what you need to do:

Visit the official settlement website. Do not use third-party sites. The links are usually found on Top Class Actions or the court's website.
Gather your documentation. For GSK, that means vaccination records. For Trader Joe's, that means bank statements or receipts from the relevant period.
File before the deadline. The deadlines are June 8 and June 9, 2026. Do not wait.

A Final Thought on Financial Vigilance

On the one hand, these settlements represent a small victory for consumer rights. On the other hand, they are a reminder that corporations often make mistakes—and that we, as individuals, are responsible for holding them accountable. It is not about being paranoid; it is about being prepared.

So, take five minutes today. Check if you qualify. And while you are at it, consider how you track your expenses. Because the next time a company owes you money, you will want to have the proof ready.

Source: These companies settled lawsuits and may owe you money. How to apply