Tuna Antitrust Settlement Begins Paying Consumers

Payments from the $152.2 million Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation settlement were first issued on September 8. The settlement resolves claims that major tuna producers—StarKist, DWI and the Lion companies—conspired between June 2011 and July 2015 to fix prices of canned and pouched tuna sold in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case in November 2022, leaving the class-certification rulings in place. Consumers who purchased eligible tuna products could file a claim through a dedicated website, with the filing deadline set for December 31, 2024.

Newsweek

The settlement fund is allocated proportionally: claimants report the amount of tuna they bought, and larger documented purchases generate larger awards. Early reports show payouts ranging from roughly $150 to $2,000. The variation reflects differences in the quantity of qualifying purchases each claimant submitted, not the exact amount any individual lost.

Newsweek

The settlement administrator explained that individuals who participated in the earlier COSI settlement did not need to submit a new claim to receive a payment. Those who missed the December 31, 2024 deadline are ineligible for any distribution. Payments are being delivered via the method selected during the claims process—direct deposit, PayPal, Venmo, prepaid card, or mailed check. The administrator advised claimants to verify their contact information and monitor email or mail for the arriving funds.

Newsweek

• “These payments are not evidence they personally lost that exact amount,” — Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin

Newsweek

The claims-filing period has closed, and the distribution phase is ongoing. Recipients should watch for deposits or mailed checks and ensure their payment details remain current on the Tuna End Purchaser Case website. Consumers who have not yet received a payment can contact the settlement administrator for status updates.

Newsweek