Walmart settles in class-action lawsuit – you could be entitled to compensation

Walmart shoppers in the U.S., take note. If, in the last 5 years, you purchased bagged citrus or sold-by-weight meat, poultry, pork, and seafood products from the retail giant, you may be eligible for up to $500 in compensation as part of a class-action lawsuit settlement.

Walmart did agree to a $45 million settlement this week after it was sued for allegedly overcharging customers for those products. The lawsuit claimed that Walmart mislabeled the weight of bagged produce, inflated product weight and overcharged for clearance items.

Despite Walmart’s denial of the allegations, the settlement means customers are now able file a claim to receive compensation if they shopped at Walmart and bought the allegedly inflated items between Oct. 19, 2018 and Jan. 19, 2024.

Further, a receipt is not required to file a claim, however, if you have your receipts, you may receive up to $500 in compensation.

Who is eligible to file a claim and how long do they have?

The filing period is open until June 5, 2024 and is open to any individual who bought certain bagged citrus or weighted meat items in-person at a Walmart location. A full list of eligible bagged citrus items can be found here and a list of weighted goods can be found here.

An item of note indicates that online purchases are not included as part of the settlement. Only items purchased in-store in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are eligible to be included as part of a claim.

If you wish to opt out of the settlement you have until May 22 to do so.

How much can I receive?

Basically the settlement allows for customers to receive compensation based on how many of the items they purchased during the settlement class period (Oct. 19, 2018 and Jan. 19, 2024).

For those without receipts, you must attest to how many items you purchased and compensation is determined by these guidelines:

• If you purchased up to 50 items, you are entitled to $10
• If you purchased between 51 and 75 items, you are entitled to $15
• If you purchased between 76 and 100 items, you are entitled to $20
• If you purchased more than 101 items, you are entitled to $25

If you have receipts for your purchases, you are then entitled to two percent of what you were charged for each item, up to $500 in compensation.

The only downside for impacted shoppers is that the settlement allocates $45 million for the entirety of compensation, which means that if too many people file a claim, the payments will be prorated and will be less than the payments listed above.

To file your claim or for more information, visit the settlement website.

— with files from mlive.com