Published
August 14, 2026
This settlement resolves claims that E. Mishan & Sons marketed its Gotham Steel, Granitestone and Bell & Howell stainless cookware as healthy, non-toxic and safe without disclosing the metals in it. If you bought any of those pans or pots in California or Colorado since September 2021, you can claim $6 per item — up to $12 a household — without a receipt.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline to file a claim is September 25, 2026, and the official notice gives that date without naming a timezone. The court granted preliminary approval and appointed a settlement administrator, but it has not yet decided whether to approve the settlement: the final approval hearing is set for November 2, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 1 of the Riverside County Superior Court, and the notice warns that the date can move without further notice. No payments have been issued and no payment date has been announced. If you bought a covered pan or pot in California or Colorado, the action to take now is to file the claim form on the official settlement website before September 25.
Status
Claims Open
Preliminary approval granted · final approval hearing November 2, 2026
Claim Deadline
September 25, 2026
Online submissions and mailed claims both · same date to opt out or object
Estimated Payout
$6 per product
Up to 2 products per household, so $12 maximum · one claim form per household
Proof Required
No
Attestation under penalty of perjury · no receipts, and the Notice ID field on the online form is optional
What Changed Recently?
The parties signed the settlement in late May 2026 and filed it for approval on May 28, 2026. The court took up the request on July 1, 2026 and granted preliminary approval, which is what opened the claim process, set the class period cutoff at July 6, 2026, and appointed Fidexis Group as settlement administrator. Notice went out to the class over the summer, and the claim window now runs through September 25, 2026.E. Mishan & Sons denies any wrongdoing or liability. The court has not decided that the company did anything wrong, and under the terms of the agreement the settlement is not an admission that it broke the law. Both sides say they settled to avoid the cost and risk of continuing to litigate.
This is a separate matter from the Granitestone Diamond Pro Blue sauté pan recall announced in June 2026, which involved a handle-screw cap that could detach when heated and is handled directly by the company as a refund. Nothing in this settlement covers physical injury.
What Is This Settlement About?
The underlying complaint, filed in Riverside County Superior Court in September 2025 and amended in May 2026 to add Colorado purchasers, alleges that E. Mishan & Sons marketed Gotham Steel, Granitestone and Bell & Howell cookware with claims such as "Healthy, Non-Toxic Ceramic Cookware & Bakeware," "Cookware for a Healthy Lifestyle," "Non-toxic," "Safe," "Toxin Free," "PFOA Free," and "Free from PFOA, PFOS, PTFE, BPA, lead, and cadmium." According to the complaint, those claims were misleading because the products contained undisclosed chromium, iron, nickel, lead, cadmium, PFOA, PFAS, PTFE, or PFOS.The plaintiffs allege that the marketing violated state false advertising, consumer protection, warranty, and unjust enrichment law — including the California Unfair Competition Law, the California False Advertising Law, the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, and the Colorado Consumer Protection Act — and that class members overpaid as a result. The lawsuit does not allege that the cookware caused physical or personal injury to anyone, and the release preserves personal injury claims. These remain allegations; no court has ruled on them.
The "non-toxic" claim is a recurring theme in cookware litigation. A separate case over similar marketing produced the HexClad cookware settlement, whose claim window has already closed.
Who Qualifies?
You are a settlement class member if you purchased one or more Gotham Steel, Granite Stone, or Bell & Howell brand cookware products with stainless steel components — in any size or variety — other than for resale, in California or Colorado, between September 8, 2021 and July 6, 2026.The settlement agreement defines the products broadly. It covers all variations and sizes of those brands' skillets, frying pans, sauté pans, pasta pots, stock pots, saucepans, griddles, grill pans, and cookware sets that have stainless steel components.
Two limits are worth reading carefully. First, the class is defined by where the purchase happened, not where you live, so a purchase made outside California or Colorado is not covered. Second, items bought for resale are excluded. The class also excludes the company's parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, employees, legal representatives, heirs, successors and assigns and their immediate family; counsel for the parties; the judge presiding over the case and the judge's immediate family; and anyone who validly and timely opts out by September 25, 2026.
How Much Can You Get?
A class member who submits a timely, valid claim receives $6.00 per eligible product, capped at two products per household. The most any household can receive is $12.00, and only one claim form may be filed per household.That figure is fixed rather than pro rata, so it does not shrink if more people file. The settlement does not create a common fund: E. Mishan & Sons pays the valid claims, and it separately pays the settlement administrator's notice and administration costs, whatever attorneys' fees and litigation expenses the court awards, and any service awards the court approves for the class representatives, up to $2,500 each. Under the agreement, none of those payments reduce the cash available to class members.
The settlement also includes non-monetary relief. Within 180 days of the effective date, the company is to disclose on product labels and on the online product page that the products contain iron, chromium, and nickel, along with a statement in English and Spanish directing consumers to a web page and a QR code with more information about chemicals in the product. That labeling obligation runs for three years, or until a change in the law permits different labels, whichever comes first.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
None. This is one of the rare settlements where a claimant who never received a notice can still file. The online claim form asks for your name, address, contact information, and purchase details — which products you bought, in which state, approximately when, and how many — and you sign an attestation under penalty of perjury that you bought them in California and/or Colorado during the class period. No receipts, packaging, or photographs are requested.The online form does include a Notice ID field, but it is labeled optional; the settlement website notes only that if you choose to enter one, it must be valid. The court made the same point when it granted preliminary approval, describing the claims process as one that does not require class members to submit documentary proof of purchase in order to obtain a cash payment.
Two process limits still apply. The administrator may ask for additional information to validate a claim and may reject a claim that is incomplete, unsigned, illegible, untimely, or fraudulent, and claims submitted through third-party claim-filing services will be rejected outright — you have to file your own.
What Is the Deadline?
Claim forms must be submitted online or postmarked by September 25, 2026. The official notice gives that date without specifying a timezone, so treat it as a hard date and file early rather than late. The administrator warns that the Postal Service does not always postmark mail the day it is dropped off, which is another reason to file online.September 25, 2026 is also the deadline to exclude yourself from the settlement or to object to it. Both of those require a separate signed form submitted online or by mail — you cannot opt out or object by phone or email, and an opt-out request covering more than one person will be treated as invalid.
How Do You Take Action?
File on the official settlement website, Stainless Steel Cookware Settlement. Complete the claimant information section, answer the purchase question, list the products you bought in California or Colorado during the class period, pick a payment method, then type your full name to sign the attestation.The claim form offers five payment options: PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, a virtual prepaid card, or a physical check mailed to the address on your claim. Keep a copy of what you submit. If your address, name, or email changes after you file, the settlement website's contact page is where to send the update — the administrator will not chase you for it.
If you would rather not be bound by the settlement, the opt-out form on the same website is how to exclude yourself. Opting out means you receive nothing from the settlement but keep the right to pursue your own claim against the company.
What Happens Next?
The claim window closes September 25, 2026. The court then holds the final approval hearing on November 2, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 1 in Riverside, where it will decide whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate, consider any objections, and rule on the requests for attorneys' fees and service awards. A hearing being held is not the same as approval being granted; check the official settlement website for the outcome and for any change to the hearing date.If the court approves the settlement, payments follow the effective date, which arrives after the deadline for appeals passes and any appeals are resolved. The agreement calls for the administrator to issue payments within 21 days of that date, and physical checks remain valid for 90 days after issue. No payment date had been announced as of August 14, 2026.
Sources and Verification
This page is based on the official settlement website and the court-approved settlement documents:- Official settlement website — Stainless Steel Cookware Settlement
- Frequently asked questions page
- Online claim form
- Class action settlement agreement and release
- Court-approved long form notice (PDF)
- Riverside County Superior Court public portal — case CVRI2505343
Questions
Do I need a receipt or the notice I received to file a claim?
No. The claim form asks what you bought, how many, in which state, and roughly when, and you sign an attestation under penalty of perjury. No receipts or photos are requested, and the Notice ID field on the online claim form is marked optional, so someone who never received a notice can still file. If you do enter a Notice ID, the settlement website says it must be a valid one.
Can I claim for more than two pans?
No. The payment is $6.00 per eligible product, capped at two products per household, so the most a household can receive is $12.00. Only one claim form may be submitted per household, and the claim form asks you to attest that nobody else in your household has already filed.
I bought a Granitestone pan outside California and Colorado. Am I covered?
No. The settlement class is limited to people who purchased the products in California or Colorado, other than for resale, between September 8, 2021 and July 6, 2026. The lawsuit was brought under California and Colorado consumer protection statutes, so purchases made in other states are outside the class and outside the release.
Is this the same thing as the Granitestone sauté pan recall?
No. They are separate matters that happen to involve the same company. The June 2026 recall covered about 740,000 Granitestone Diamond Pro Blue sauté pans whose handle screw cap could detach when heated, and the remedy there is a refund handled directly by the company. This settlement is a court case about how the cookware was advertised, and it does not cover any physical injury claims.
How and when would I be paid?
The claim form lets you choose PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, a virtual prepaid card, or a mailed check. Payments go out only after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. The settlement agreement calls for payments within 21 days of that effective date, and physical checks stay valid for 90 days. No payment date had been announced as of August 14, 2026.
Official Settlement Notice
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
No common fund
Claims-made — the company pays valid claims, notice and administration costs, and court-awarded fees separately
Case Title
Fouse v. E. Mishan & Sons, Inc.
Case Number
CVRI2505343
Court
Superior Court of California, County of Riverside
Final Approval Hearing
November 2, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Department 1, Riverside — the date can change without further notice
Administrator
Fidexis Group
Official Website
Stainless Steel Cookware Settlement
