Class Action Settlement Agreement Announced In Class Action Lawsuit Against Classmates.com Over Alleged Phantom Friend Emails
Classmates Online, Inc., Classmates Media Corporation and United Online, Inc. have entered into a class action settlement agreement to settle a class action lawsuit pending against the social networking website Classmates.com in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, Seattle (styled In re Classmates.com Consolidated Litigation, Case No. 09-cv-0045-RAJ), according to a class action settlement news report.
The Classmates.com Class Action Settlement agreement reportedly provides for a class action settlement fund of up to $9.5 million to resolve Classmates.com class member claims allegedly accusing Classmates.com of sending emails that made people believe their old friends from high school were reaching out to connect with them. More than 3 million Classmates.com class members may be eligible for a cash payment or credit under the class action settlement, if it is approved by the court.
The classmates.com settlement class reportedly includes all Persons, excluding Settlement Subclass members, residing in the United States who were registered with or subscribed to www.classmates.com at any time between October 30, 2004 and April 19, 2010.
The classmates.com settlement subclass reportedly includes all persons residing in the United States who registered with or subscribed to www.classmates.com between January 1, 2007 and April 19, 2010, and who paid for a Gold Membership subscription to www.classmates.com (and did not previously receive a refund of such payment) as a result of:
- Upgrading to a Gold Membership through the process on Classmates.com of seeking to see who visited their Guestbook; or
- Upgrading to a Gold Membership after clicking on a link to Classmates.com in a Guestbook email, or Connections email that included a Guestbook subject line, and upgrading to a Gold Membership within the same session activated by clicking on that link or within the same day of clicking on that link; or
- Upgrading to a Gold Membership within the same day of receiving a Guestbook email or Connections email that included a Guestbook subject line.
In addition to injunctive relief, Settlement Class members who do not exclude themselves from the Settlement and who timely submit a Valid Claim Form, are entitled to receive a credit of $2.00 off of the purchase or renewal of a www.classmates.com Gold Membership. Under the Settlement Agreement, Settlement Subclass members are entitled to receive either a cash payment of $3.00 or a credit of $2.00 off of the purchase or renewal of a www.classmates.com Gold Membership.
On or before July 18, 2010, Settlement Class and Settlement Subclass members reportedly should have received a notification email containing a link to the Claim Form. If you believe you are a member of the Settlement Class or Settlement Subclass and you did not receive a notification email by July 18, 2010, email the Settlement Administrator at claimforms@cmemailsettlement.com or write to the Settlement Administrator In re Classmates.com Consolidated Litigation c/o The Garden City Group, Inc., P.O. Box 9481 Dublin, OH 43017-4581 to request a Notice and Claim Form.
The Court is scheduled to hold a settlement hearing on October 27, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. PDT at the United States District Court, Western District of Washington, before the Honorable Richard A. Jones, Courtroom 13128, 700 Stewart Street, Seattle, Washington 98101, to consider whether to order final approval of the Settlement and entry of judgment dismissing the litigation.
For more information on the classmates.com class action settlement, read the classmates.com settlement class notice or classmates.com settlement subclass notice or visit the classmates.com settlement website:
www.cmemailsettlement.com
Update: The Court reportedly did not give final approval to the Prior Settlement that class members were notified about in 2010 (see above). Click here for more information on the revised classmates.com email privacy class action settlement.
If You Have Thoughts On The Classmates.com Email Class Action Settlement, Share Your Settlement Comments Below.
i need a form send to me in the mail.44huntdrive ackerman,ms39735.
I need a form to join this lawsuit, since I recently noticed that my credit card had been charged for an automatic renewal without my authorization. Please send me the necessary forms via email.
You’re kidding right? You authorize the automatic renewals when you sign up. That’s how it works. You need to stop trying to get in on getting money you do not deserve. People may or may not have had their rights violated, but you definitely have not. Stop being greedy; if you want money, get off your butt and earn it.
would you please send me a form in the mail to my address 44 hunt drive ackerman,ms 39735.
I have never signed up with these people. I have called my cousin who is an attorney and he said inform you people to remove any information one might have given you.
I opt out on this settlemen, this is a scan for lawyers to get alot of money and give us $3.00 plus if we don’t opt out they will charge us each month Gold Membership fees on Classmates.com. Everyone should write a letter and opt out and let Classmates fall on their face.
I got charged a lot of money and had to fight to get the money back through classmates.com. I don’t know if it’s a scam or not, but I haven’t gotten half of my money back yet. I filed a claim a while back ago. Out of 9 million you think they can give me my 50. bucks back.
I would like to have a form sent to me.
Accepting $3 to encourage lawyers to hunt other peoples pockets doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t know why I got the email. I’ve never paid for the gold, (though I was thinking about doing it). If I were to pay now, the price would be higher, I’d think.
I donot understand why we will only get $10.00 on a false claim of $39.00. It looks as if the LAWYERS get too much. Please reply. Thanks
I don’t understand what the fuss is about. When anyone signs up for any type of a Classmates.com account; be it a short-term membership or yearly renewal, one has the option to cancel out on future auto-renewals. You just go into your Classmates account and delete your banking/credit card information. It’s that simple and has always been that way!
Also, for privacy issues, go into your account (Classmates.com) settings and dictate those to how you’d like them to be set.
If you are unable to log into your account, then ask for a password reset by requesting, per each and any email address you might have used back when you signed up. But you’ll need to have access to that email so to receive a reset email. If you’ve deleted that email account, then you’ll need to write to Classmates with notarized proof of whom you are and hope they can help you. In any case, your bank can stop payment, and if they do not, you certainly should cancel that credit card.
You can also remember the time frame you are set to auto-renew on Classmates.com and log onto your account to renew, then once again delete your banking info so not to allow them to keep it on file. That way you can remain at ‘your’ discounted rate, if that applies, and continue to renew without Classmates upping your rates for having let your renew by date expire; hence your rate increase. If you forget to renew by your renewal date, then your renewal rate, if discounted, won’t hold and you will bump up to the new member rate.
Check your settings in your account and change what needs to be changed. I don’t allow such websites to retain my personal banking information.
As for those who claim they’ve never joined Classmates but were charged a membership fee; oh come on already. I cannot imagine how you think they got your charge card number/bank routing information had you not provided it. Ludicrous! It’s not Classmates if your number was used, but someone else, if not you, provided it. You, perhaps a spouse or child used your payment info to join, or you let people have access to your financial information. But if your Classmates account was hacked and banking info compromised, then think about it: your bank info was already in there! Most importantly, ask yourself why didn’t you dispute said charge or bank deduction when it first appeared, as opposed to waiting for a class-action settlement suit? Sheesh! You don’t stand to get but a token of pocket money in this settlement, or maybe a tiny discount on a future renewal anyway!
Also: I am under the impression these settlement forms are emailed to the member’s EMAIL ADDRESSES on file; not mailed in letters by the post office. Don’t be careless asking for a ‘form’ and post your address on here! Besides, this is not even the proper way do that!
These lawsuits are frivolous when all anybody ever needed to do was keep better records, check their account more routinely and look at all of their options when they signed up for any account. There are answers and settings everywhere to make your experience work smoothly. But thanks to so many idiot people and greedy lawyers, now we can bring a suit on anyone for own stupidity.
READ people, READ! Keep better records too!
Well for starters, When “YOU” submit “YOUR” Credit Card info “YOU” submit to the Website terms, No If’s & And’s or But’s!!!
And now for the actions filed against this website, What a ClassAction pile of BS… Couldn’t “They” do any better? Remember when the person got burned at the eatery by their coffee, well at least They had some-what of a reason to file a BS action. Now, I hope this is false because if Our court’s are being clogged with this BS then We’ve had-it! Was private information sold? Was harm brought to someone? Was there credit card fraud? Or was this action because of someone receiving an email saying that friends were trying to contact them, And when they signed up to this website could not find them? SO, Big Deal!!! That is a attention grabber that brings potential customers. Shouldn’t take everything to Heart… As I am typing this I feel an Eye-Sprain coming on, Does this justify a legal action for Me against this website? No, That would be just plain Stupidity. As for other things I signed up for the site that has this action against them, I have no problems whatsoever. Did You Know that My spam folder gets quite full “ifyouknowwhatimean” with what You ask? Missleading emails… I guess that what it’s called SPAM!
When “YOU” sign-up for something on the net, USE a rechargable Debit Card, They are Fantastic and work quite well. Use that thing that has been positioned on the TOP of YOUR shoulders!!! This way if You don’t want to keep a subscription and hits it “Boda-Bing” no harm done no more monies can be extracted from this. But if You do want to keep the subcription just keep 1 or 2 extra dollars more on the card along with Your subscription fee and your subscription is covered again for that month, But make sure You load it before it is time. WoW, That was easy and thats how I signed up. Membership prices can change at any time, Don’t think they can’t. Now, Don’t give Your location out!
JLN, I couldn’t have said it better on Your last paragraph!!!
PS. Now I am getting a headache, Eye ache or Sprain and aching fingers. Darn I feel a lawsuit coming on!!!!!