Published
April 2, 2026
Updated
September 18, 2026
California drivers who completed at least one Grubhub delivery between December 3, 2014 and March 13, 2026 were covered by the $24.75 million Grubhub driver-misclassification settlement, with payouts based on miles driven. Claims closed June 18, 2026; U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley granted final approval on July 30, 2026, and the administrator said payments would issue roughly 60 days later.
What Is This Settlement About?
Grubhub agreed to pay $24.75 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging the company misclassified California delivery drivers as independent contractors instead of employees. The lawsuit claimed this independent contractor misclassification violated California labor law, resulting in drivers being denied minimum wages, overtime pay, and reimbursement for necessary business expenses like gas and vehicle maintenance.The case (Lawson et al. v. Grubhub Holdings Inc. et al., Case No. 15-cv-05128 JSC) was originally filed in September 2015 and has been litigated for over a decade. During the case, the court found that lead plaintiff Raef Lawson had been misclassified by Grubhub for purposes of his minimum wage and overtime claims and had experienced minimum wage violations. The parties reached this settlement after five formal mediation conferences.
Grubhub denies that it violated the law and denies that drivers were or are employees. The court has not decided in favor of any driver other than the lead plaintiff.
Current Status: Final Approval Granted July 30, 2026
On July 30, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the Northern District of California granted final approval to the settlement, ending a case that had run for nearly eleven years, including a bench trial, an appeal to the Ninth Circuit and a remand. The court approved the $24.75 million fund as negotiated but did not give class counsel everything they asked for: the requested $8.25 million in attorneys’ fees (33.33% of the fund) was reduced to about $6.2 million, and the lead plaintiff’s service award was set at $10,000 rather than the $100,000 requested in the motion. The fee reduction increases the net amount available to drivers who filed valid claims.According to the settlement administrator, payments issue approximately 60 days after final approval, which points to late September or October 2026 if no appeal is filed. As of September 18, 2026, no appeal of the final approval order had been publicly reported. Payment amounts remain proportional to each driver’s miles driven, with a $25 minimum for every valid claim.
Status
Final Approval Granted · Claims Closed
Approved July 30, 2026; payments expected roughly 60 days later
Claim Deadline
June 18, 2026
Passed
Estimated Payout
Based on miles driven
$25 minimum per valid claim
Proof Required
Yes
SIMID number from settlement notice
Who Qualifies?
You qualify if you used the Grubhub platform as an independent contractor to accept or complete at least one delivery in California between December 3, 2014 and March 13, 2026. If Grubhub's records show you made deliveries in California during this period, you should have received a settlement notice.This settlement is for California drivers only. If you drove for Grubhub in other states, this settlement does not apply to you.
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How Much Will I Get?
Payouts are calculated from how many miles each driver drove while using the Grubhub app as a delivery driver in California. The claims administrator reviews Grubhub's records to determine each driver's estimated mileage; drivers who drove more miles receive proportionally larger payments, and every valid claim is guaranteed a minimum of $25.The notice described the following deductions from the $24.75 million fund: up to $8,250,000 (33.33%) for attorneys' fees and costs, up to $260,000 for settlement administration, $2,000,000 to the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency for PAGA penalties (of which $500,000 goes back to the class), up to $100,000 as a service award for the lead plaintiff, and up to $5,000 for the second named plaintiff. At final approval the court cut the fee award to about $6.2 million and the lead plaintiff's service award to $10,000, so the net fund is larger than the notice's ceiling figures implied.
After those deductions, the net settlement fund is divided among all drivers who filed valid claims, proportional to their miles driven. A driver who worked full-time in California over several years will receive a larger share; a driver who completed only a handful of deliveries will receive closer to the $25 minimum. The administrator has not published a per-mile or average payment figure.
How Were Claims Filed?
Claims were submitted online at GrubhubCalSettlement.com or by mailing a paper claim form to the claims administrator, postmarked by June 18, 2026. That deadline has passed and the site is no longer accepting claims.Filing online required the unique SIMID number printed on the settlement notice. Drivers who filed and have questions about the status of their claim should use the contact options on the official settlement website.
If you file a claim and also opt out, the opt-out takes priority and you will not receive payment.
What Happens to Drivers Who Did Not File?
Drivers who did not file a claim by June 18, 2026 will not receive a payment. Unless they formally excluded themselves by the same date, they are still bound by the settlement release now that final approval has been granted, which means they have given up the right to sue Grubhub or pursue individual arbitration over the misclassification, unpaid wage, overtime, expense reimbursement and other California labor law claims covered by the settlement.Drivers who opted out by the June 18, 2026 deadline receive no money from the settlement but kept the right to pursue their own case.
When Will Payments Be Sent?
The court granted final approval on July 30, 2026. The administrator's stated timeline is approximately 60 days after final approval, which points to late September or October 2026, as long as no appeal is filed. An appeal would delay payment until it is resolved, which can take a year or more. As of September 18, 2026, no appeal had been publicly reported and the administrator had not posted a mailing date on the settlement website.Settlement checks will be void 180 days after issuance if not cashed. Any unclaimed funds will be directed to Legal Aid at Work.
Case Information
Case: Lawson et al. v. Grubhub Holdings Inc. et al., Case No. 15-cv-05128 JSC
Court: U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Filed: September 23, 2015
Plaintiffs: Raef Lawson and Rejenna Marshall
Defendant: Grubhub Holdings Inc.
Allegation: Misclassified California delivery drivers as independent contractors, denying wages, overtime, and expense reimbursement
Settlement Fund: $24,750,000
Class Period: December 3, 2014 through March 13, 2026
Who Qualifies: California Grubhub delivery drivers with at least one completed delivery
Payout Basis: Proportional to miles driven (minimum $25)
Claim Deadline: June 18, 2026
Opt-Out Deadline: June 18, 2026
Final Approval: Granted July 30, 2026 (Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley)
Attorneys' Fees: Requested $8,250,000 (33.33%); court awarded about $6,200,000
Lead Plaintiff Service Award: $10,000 (requested up to $100,000)
PAGA Payment: $2,000,000 ($1.5M to state, $500K to class)
Class Counsel: Lichten & Liss-Riordan P.C., Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman P.C.
Settlement Website: GrubhubCalSettlement.com
Official Settlement Notice (PDF)
Settlement Website: GrubhubCalSettlement.com
Settlement Website
Sources
• Official Settlement Website -- GrubhubCalSettlement.com• Court-authorized settlement notice, Lawson et al. v. Grubhub Holdings Inc. et al., Case No. 15-cv-05128 JSC (N.D. Cal.)
• Courthouse News Service — Grubhub class action settlement delivers nearly $25 million to drivers (final approval, July 30, 2026)
• Related: why Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats fees look the way they do, and the lawsuits over them
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
$24,750,000
Case Title
Lawson et al. v. Grubhub Holdings Inc. et al.
Case Number
15-cv-05128-JSC
Court
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Final Approval
Granted July 30, 2026
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley · payments expected ~60 days later
Official Website
Grubhub Cal Settlement.com
