Florida citizens who bought non-prescription Costa Del Mar sunglasses between July 28, 2013 and January 31, 2018 may qualify to claim a pro rata cash payment from the $21.75 million Costa Del Mar sunglasses class action settlement, and Floridians Costa charged more than $11.95 for a repair will be paid automatically. Purchase claims close January 11, 2027.
Current Status
Claims are open for the Purchase Class. Florida citizens who bought qualifying Costa sunglasses can file a Claim Form online or by mail, submitted or postmarked by January 11, 2027. Florida citizens in the Repair Class do not file anything; they are paid automatically from Costa's repair records.The settlement is not final. The Court has authorized notice to the class and set the Final Approval Hearing for March 23, 2027. No payment date had been announced as of October 10, 2026, and the notice says no payments will be made unless the Court approves the settlement.
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What Changed Recently?
Costa Del Mar, Inc. agreed to pay $21,750,000 to settle Haney v. Costa Del Mar, Inc., a Florida state-court class action filed in 2017, and the settlement website and notice went live in October 2026. The case had gone a long way before it settled: the Court certified a Purchase Class and a Repair Class in April 2019, notice of the certified case went out in 2025, and a trial that began in January 2026 ended in a mistrial. The parties reached settlement terms in April 2026 after mediation.The lawsuit claims Costa's packaging promised to repair sunglasses damaged by accident, normal wear and tear, or misuse for a "nominal fee," then charged more than a nominal fee as the term is commonly understood, without telling customers the price before they mailed their sunglasses in. It brought claims under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Costa denies the claims and any wrongdoing or liability, and argues among other things that the packaging language was marketing rather than a warranty and that its fees were in fact nominal. The Court has not ruled on who is right.
This is the Florida piece of a three-case resolution. Costa customers outside Florida are covered by the separate $23.9 million Reed repair fee settlement, which carves Florida residents out for exactly this reason, and a third case, Smith v. Costa Del Mar, Inc., settled over a different fee: the warranty fee for repairing a manufacturer's defect.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement has two classes, and both are limited to citizens of Florida.The Purchase Class is Florida citizens who bought non-prescription, non-promotional Costa sunglasses for personal use between July 28, 2013 and January 31, 2018. Purchase Class members are paid only if they file a Claim Form.
The Repair Class is Florida citizens who bought non-prescription, non-promotional Costa sunglasses for personal use on or before January 31, 2018, and whom Costa charged a fee between July 28, 2012 and January 26, 2025 to replace damaged parts of those sunglasses. Only repairs that cost more than $11.95 qualify.
Someone who fits both definitions takes part only as a Repair Class member: that person is paid automatically for repairs and cannot also file a purchase claim. Prescription and promotional sunglasses are outside both classes, and Costa, its affiliates, officers, directors and employees, and the judge and court staff assigned to the case are excluded.
How Much Can You Get?
No per-person dollar amount has been published. Both classes are paid pro rata, which means a fixed pool of money is divided among everyone eligible, so the amount depends on how many people take part.The Purchase Class has its own fixed allocation of $6,375,000. Each valid claim receives one pro rata share of that allocation for each qualifying pair of sunglasses claimed.
The Repair Class receives the rest of the $21,750,000 fund after the Purchase Class allocation, settlement administration costs and court-approved attorneys' fees and expenses are taken out. Class Counsel is asking for $7,303,605 in fees and expenses; the Court may award less. Each repair over $11.95 identified in Costa's records, tracked by its repair (RI) number, earns one pro rata share.
If at least $150,000 is left after the first round of payments, the Settlement Agreement calls for a second pro rata distribution to class members who cashed or claimed their first payment. Anything left after that goes to Captains for Clean Water as a cy pres recipient, subject to Court approval.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
None for most purchase claims. The Settlement Agreement lets each Purchase Class member claim up to five qualifying purchases without supporting documentation; documentation may be required for a claim of more than five. The online Claim Form asks for a name, address, email address and the number of pairs bought, and it marks the Unique ID and PIN fields "If Available," so a Floridian who never received a notice can still file.Repair Class members need nothing. The Settlement Administrator identifies them and their qualifying repairs from repair data Costa produced in the case.
Many class members are hearing about the settlement by email. The Settlement Agreement has Epiq email the court-authorized notice to every Repair Class member and known Purchase Class member it has an email address for, and mail it to the rest. The emailed notice says records show the recipient is a Settlement Class Member, gives a Unique ID and PIN, and points to the official settlement website. Receiving it does not by itself say which class the recipient is in: Repair Class members are paid automatically, while Purchase Class members are paid only if they file a Claim Form, where the Unique ID and PIN can be entered but are not required.
What Is the Deadline?
Purchase Class Claim Forms must be submitted online or postmarked by January 11, 2027. The notice gives that as a calendar date with no time of day or timezone.The deadline to exclude yourself is January 19, 2027. An exclusion request has to be in writing, personally signed, and mailed to the Settlement Administrator with a postmark by that date; the notice says it cannot be done by phone or email, and group opt-outs signed by someone other than each class member are not allowed. Objections must be filed with the Court and mailed to Class Counsel and Costa's counsel by the same January 19, 2027 date.
The settlement website warns that mail may not be postmarked on the day it is dropped off, so mailing well ahead of a postmark deadline avoids a late postmark.
How Do You Take Action?
Purchase Class claims are filed on the Submit a Claim page of the official settlement website, which also has a downloadable Claim Form for mailing:Costa Sunglass Litigation — official settlement website
Repair Class members are paid without filing. The settlement website is where class members choose a payment method and update an email or mailing address, and the Settlement Agreement, notice and other case documents are posted on its Documents page. Filing on the official settlement website is free.
What Happens Next?
The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled for March 23, 2027 at 9:00 a.m. ET before Judge Bruce R. Anderson at the Fourth Judicial Circuit Courthouse in Jacksonville. The Court will consider whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate, and how much to award Class Counsel. The notice says the date and time can change without further notice and the hearing may be held by video or phone.Payments are due within 37 days after the settlement becomes final, which happens only after final approval and the end of any appeals. No payment date had been announced as of October 10, 2026.
Sources and Verification
This page is built from the official settlement website and the case documents posted on it:- Official settlement website — home page, Frequently Asked Questions and Submit a Claim page.
- Court-authorized long-form notice for Haney v. Costa Del Mar, Inc., Case No. 16-2017-CA-004794 (Fla. 4th Cir. Ct., Duval County) — embedded below.
- Class Action Settlement Agreement and Limited Release, signed August 2026 — embedded below.
Questions
Is the Costa sunglasses settlement email with a Unique ID and PIN real?
The Settlement Agreement directs the Settlement Administrator, Epiq, to email the court-authorized notice to Repair Class members and known Purchase Class members it has an email address for, and to mail it to the rest. That notice tells the recipient that records show they are a member of the Settlement Class and points to the official settlement website, CostaSunglassLitigation.com. The Unique ID and PIN printed in it identify the recipient on that website. For a Repair Class member, the email is notice of an automatic payment, and no claim is needed to be paid. For a Purchase Class member, the Unique ID and PIN are optional on the Claim Form, which is due January 11, 2027. Filing on the official settlement website is free.
Can someone who does not live in Florida file a claim in the Costa Florida settlement?
Not in this settlement. Both classes in Haney v. Costa Del Mar, Inc. are limited to citizens of the State of Florida. Costa customers elsewhere in the U.S. are covered by the separate $23.9 million Reed v. Costa Del Mar, Inc. settlement, but only for repairs: it pays U.S. citizens other than Florida residents automatically for qualifying repairs over $11.95, and it has no claim for purchases. A third case, Smith v. Costa Del Mar, Inc., is nationwide but also repair-only: it covers the warranty fee Costa charged to fix sunglasses bought before January 1, 2016 that had a manufacturer's defect, paid automatically. A buyer outside Florida who never paid Costa for a repair is not in any of the three settlement classes.
What if a Costa customer moved into or out of Florida?
The Haney classes are defined as citizens of the State of Florida, and the separate Reed settlement excludes Florida residents. Neither the Haney notice nor its Settlement Agreement says as of what date Florida citizenship is measured or how it is decided for someone who has moved. The settlement website's FAQ points anyone unsure whether they are included to the class definitions and to the Settlement Administrator, who can be contacted through the official settlement website. The notice also says it is each class member's responsibility to tell the Settlement Administrator about a change of mailing or email address.
Can a Floridian who both bought Costa sunglasses and paid for a repair file a purchase claim too?
No. Under the Settlement Agreement, a person who falls in both the Purchase Class and the Repair Class takes part only as a Repair Class member. That person is paid automatically for each qualifying repair and is not eligible to submit a Claim Form for purchases.
How is the Florida Costa settlement different from the $23.9 million Reed settlement?
They cover different people. Reed v. Costa Del Mar, Inc., in federal court, covers U.S. citizens outside Florida who paid Costa more than $11.95 for a repair, and pays them automatically. Haney v. Costa Del Mar, Inc., in Florida state court, covers Florida citizens only, and it adds a Purchase Class that the Reed settlement does not have. The two settlements have separate websites, funds and deadlines, and the Haney agreement says the parties negotiated a global resolution of both cases and a third, Smith v. Costa Del Mar, Inc.
What does a nominal fee mean in the Costa sunglasses lawsuit?
Costa's packaging said damaged sunglasses would be repaired for a nominal fee. The lawsuit claims Costa charged more than a nominal fee as the term is commonly understood, and the plaintiff contends a nominal fee is at most $11.95, which is why only repairs above that amount qualify. Costa contends its fees were nominal and that the packaging language was marketing rather than a warranty. The Court never decided what a nominal fee is: a January 2026 trial ended in a mistrial, and the parties settled before a retrial.
How are Costa Florida settlement payments sent?
Settlement Class Members can choose paper check, Venmo, PayPal or Zelle through the official settlement website, and the notice says class members will receive an email to make that choice. Anyone who does not choose is paid by paper check. Checks and electronic payments not cashed or claimed within 60 days of the distribution date are voided.
What happens to money left over in the Costa Florida settlement?
If at least $150,000 is left after the first round of payments, the Settlement Agreement calls for a second pro rata distribution to class members who cashed or claimed their first payment, as long as each would receive at least $1.00. Whatever remains after that goes to Captains for Clean Water, a Florida water-quality group, subject to Court approval.
