Illinois shoppers who filed claims in the $17.5 million Moskowitz v. American Express anti-steering settlement saw the deal win final approval on July 7, 2026, but the administrator flagged about 2.2 million of the 2.24 million claims filed as likely fraudulent. No payment date has been set, and flagged claimants are being asked to verify their identity.
What Happened?
Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted final approval to the $17.5 million settlement in Moskowitz v. American Express Co., No. 1:19-cv-00566, on July 7, 2026. The same day he entered a final judgment and a separate order on attorneys’ fees, expenses and service awards. The settlement website, amexantitrust.com, posted the final approval as its latest update.The case, also called Oliver v. Amex, challenged American Express’s anti-steering rules, which bar merchants that accept Amex cards from steering customers toward cards that cost the merchant less. Plaintiffs alleged those rules led merchants to raise prices for everyone, including shoppers who paid with other cards. The case went to a jury trial, and the settlement came after the verdict. Amex denies any wrongdoing.
The day before the approval hearing, the claims administrator filed a declaration showing how the claims process had gone. Its numbers explain why no payment date has been announced.
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2.2 Million Claims Flagged as Likely Fraud
In a declaration filed July 6, 2026 (ECF No. 409), Mark Cowen of the settlement administrator, A.B. Data, said the company had received about 2,242,376 claim forms online, by email and by mail. Of those, 17,884 arrived after the May 19, 2026 deadline and are to be rejected as late.A.B. Data hired Covalynt, a legal technology firm formerly known as ClaimScore, to screen the claims. Based on that analysis, the declaration says, 2,199,387 claims “exhibited substantial evidence of fraud” and were recommended for rejection. A.B. Data said settlements that require no proof of purchase and cannot identify class members in advance are especially exposed to fraudulent filers, and that the share rejected here is consistent with similar cases.
The rest of the claims broke down this way, according to the declaration:
- 11,014 claims were verified as having an Illinois address during the class period and treated as valid.
- 11,676 claims passed the fraud screen but could not be matched to an Illinois address.
- 12,529 claims showed mixed evidence of fraud and validity.
- 7,641 claims did not claim to be part of the Illinois class.
What Happens to Flagged Claims
The declaration lays out a chance to “cure” for each group. People whose claims were flagged as likely fraud are to receive a rejection notice by email with a link to an online portal, where they log in with details from the notice and upload a state-issued or government ID so the administrator can confirm the name on the claim matches a real person.Claimants who passed the fraud screen but lacked a verified Illinois address, those with mixed results, and those who did not indicate an Illinois address are to be sent notices asking for documents showing an Illinois billing address during the class period. A.B. Data said a final count of valid claims would be made only after all of those deficiency deadlines pass and duplicates are removed.
What the Court Approved
In the final approval order (ECF No. 410), Judge Garaufis found the settlement fair, reasonable and adequate and approved the plan of distribution. He overruled two objections, finding that the people who filed them lacked standing or had not shown they were class members, and that the objections lacked merit in any event.The fee order (ECF No. 411) awarded class counsel 33.33% of the $17.5 million fund, about $5.8 million, plus reimbursement of litigation expenses and service awards for the class representatives. The order notes counsel had logged more than 63,778 hours on the case.
Under the plan of distribution, the net settlement fund is divided into equal per-capita shares among eligible claimants. Money left over from uncashed checks or similar balances is to be reallocated, with court approval, among claimants who cashed their payments. The settlement website says no money goes back to Amex.
When Will Payments Go Out?
No payment date has been announced. The settlement website says eligible class members are paid after final approval and after any appeals are resolved, and the administrator still has to finish the cure process before it can fix the number of valid claims. CourtListener’s copy of the docket shows no filings after the July 7 orders, but that copy can lag the court’s own record. Because each eligible claimant gets an equal share of the net fund, the final payment amount depends on how many claims survive verification.Only members of the Illinois non-rewards credit card class can be paid. The debit card classes and the District of Columbia and Kansas non-rewards credit card classes are bound by the settlement but do not receive money from it. The claim deadline was May 19, 2026, and no new claims are accepted.
Questions
Was the Amex $17.5 million settlement approved?
Yes. Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted final approval on July 7, 2026 and entered a final judgment the same day. He overruled two objections, finding the people who filed them lacked standing or had not shown they were class members.
When will Amex settlement payments be sent?
No payment date has been announced. The settlement website says payments go out after final approval and any appeals are resolved, and the administrator said a final count of valid claims would come only after the deficiency and cure process ends. As of November 6, 2026, the site’s most recent posted update is the July 7 final approval.
Why were so many Amex settlement claims rejected?
The claims administrator, A.B. Data, said a fraud-detection firm found substantial evidence of fraud in about 2,199,387 of the roughly 2,242,376 claims filed. Those claimants are to receive a rejection notice by email with a link to a portal where they can upload a state or government ID to show they are a real person.
How much will each valid Amex settlement claim get?
The amount has not been announced. The net settlement fund, after attorneys’ fees, expenses and administration costs, is split in equal shares among eligible claimants, so the final amount depends on how many claims are approved after the cure process. Fewer approved claims means a larger share for each.
Who can get money from the Amex anti-steering settlement?
Only members of the Illinois non-rewards credit card class who filed a valid claim by May 19, 2026. Debit card class members and the District of Columbia and Kansas non-rewards credit card classes are bound by the settlement but do not receive payments from it.
Sources
• Second Supplemental Declaration of Mark Cowen Regarding Settlement Administration, ECF No. 409 (July 6, 2026)• Final Approval Order, ECF No. 410 (July 7, 2026)
• Order Awarding Attorneys’ Fees, Expenses and Service Awards, ECF No. 411 (July 7, 2026)
• Final Judgment, ECF No. 412 (July 7, 2026)
• Plan of Distribution
• Official settlement website, amexantitrust.com
• CourtListener docket, Moskowitz v. American Express Company, No. 1:19-cv-00566 (E.D.N.Y.)
