Published
December 31, 2024
Updated
September 30, 2026
Approved claimants in the $152.2 million StarKist, Chicken of the Sea and Lion Capital packaged-tuna settlements are being paid, after a San Diego federal judge cleared distribution on July 27, 2026. Replacement checks for claimants whose first check was returned because of a bank processing issue were mailed September 28, 2026. Claims closed December 31, 2024, so nobody can join the payout now.
Current Status
Payments are going out. Judge Dana M. Sabraw of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California signed the order authorizing distribution on July 27, 2026, after finding that the settling defendants had paid their settlement amounts in full and that the appeals were exhausted. Trade press covering the order reported that the administrator, JND Legal Administration, would begin distributing within 30 days of it, and that claimants would have 60 days to cash a check before it was canceled. The claim deadline passed on December 31, 2024, so only claims already on file and approved are in this distribution. A person who filed in the earlier Chicken of the Sea settlement did not need to submit a second claim. See the payment news update for how the money is arriving and how to spot a fake notice.Some claimants' checks were reversed by their banks as “Refer to Maker” in mid-September. The administrator says the cause was a bank processing issue that the bank handling the distribution has since resolved, that sufficient funds were available at all times to cover all valid payments, and that replacement checks, each with an additional $20 as a courtesy toward bank fees, were mailed to affected class members on September 28, 2026. Checks were reissued only to affected class members, so an unaffected check should be deposited as usual and an affected original should not be redeposited. The tuna replacement check update has the details.
StatusPayments in ProgressDistribution ordered July 27, 2026 · replacement checks for returned payments mailed September 28, 2026
Claim DeadlineDecember 31, 2024 — PassedNo late-claim process has been announced
Combined Settlements$152.2 MillionStarKist $130M · Lion Capital $6M · Chicken of the Sea $16.2M
Estimated PaymentAbout $0.12 Per CanRoughly $24.50 per 200 cans in the court-approved notice; nothing paid below $5
What Was the Packaged Tuna Lawsuit About?
End-purchaser plaintiffs alleged that packaged-tuna producers participated in a conspiracy from June 2011 through July 2015 to fix, raise, maintain, or stabilize prices at artificially high levels. They asserted federal and state antitrust and unfair-competition claims on behalf of consumers and other end purchasers. StarKist, Dongwon Industries, and the Lion companies denied many of the allegations and asserted defenses. The settlements avoided continued litigation and did not amount to admissions of wrongdoing.Free settlement alerts
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Which Settlements Make Up the $152.2 Million?
The current end-purchaser site reports combined settlements totaling $152.2 million involving StarKist, Dongwon Industries, the Lion companies associated with Bumble Bee, and the earlier Chicken of the Sea settlement. This combined figure is the total settlement value before approved fees, expenses, administration, and allocation among valid claims. It should not be divided by the number of cans purchased or treated as a guaranteed flat payment.Who Was Included?
The class covered qualifying residents of Arizona, Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Residence and the other class terms controlled; this was not a nationwide class for every tuna purchaser.Which Tuna Purchases Qualified?
A qualifying class member indirectly purchased packaged tuna in a can or pouch smaller than 40 ounces for personal end consumption, not for resale, from June 1, 2011 through July 1, 2015. Products made by a defendant, a current or former subsidiary or affiliate, or an alleged co-conspirator could qualify under the notice. Meal kits were excluded. The class did not use the later July 31 date applicable to the separate direct-purchaser proceeding.What If Someone Filed in the Earlier COSI Settlement?
The administrator carried forward claims filed in the earlier Chicken of the Sea, or COSI, settlement. A person with a valid COSI claim did not need to file again for the StarKist and Lion settlements. Someone who did not file in the earlier process had to submit a claim by December 31, 2024. That deadline has passed, so the claim portal should now be understood as historical even if old forms remain visible.Was Proof of Purchase Required?
The historical process did not require ordinary grocery receipts for the basic claim. Claimants supplied purchase information and certified eligibility under the claim form’s terms. The administrator could review claims, request clarification, reject duplicates, and apply the court-approved allocation process. The absence of a receipt requirement did not permit estimates unrelated to actual qualifying purchases, and it did not guarantee approval or a particular amount.What Happened in the Appeals?
The district court certified the end-purchaser class in 2019. Defendants appealed, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the class order in April 2022, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined review in November 2022. Those rulings concerned class certification. The later StarKist and Lion settlements still required their own notice and approval process, which culminated in court approval on November 22, 2024.When Are Payments Being Sent?
The distribution order was signed July 27, 2026, and the reporting on it describes a 30-day window for the administrator to begin sending money and a 60-day window for claimants to cash a check before it is canceled. That is the schedule for the distribution as a whole, not confirmation that any particular claimant has been paid. The court-approved notice estimated roughly $0.12 per can, or about $24.50 for every 200 cans and pouches claimed, and said no payment would be issued where a claimant's total came to less than $5. Those were estimates: the final figure is a pro rata share of the net fund after approved fees, costs, service awards and administration, divided across the volume represented in every approved claim. Some claimants are reporting payments far above what that estimate implies, in the $1,600 range and higher. OpenClassActions has not confirmed those amounts with the administrator, and a payment that size would correspond to a very large claimed purchase history — near 13,000 cans at the notice's estimate — or to a per-can rate that came in above it. A household-sized claim should not be expected to reach four figures.How the Payment Arrives
Class members are describing both mailed paper checks and electronic payments. OpenClassActions has not independently confirmed with the administrator which electronic payment services are being used for this distribution, so a notification arriving by email or in an app should be checked against the official settlement website before anyone acts on it. A legitimate settlement payment never requires a fee to release it, never needs a bank login or online banking password, and never asks for a full Social Security number by email. Anyone holding a paper check should note the void date printed on it.What Should Claimants Do Now?
No new form is required from people whose claims are already on file unless the administrator requests additional information. Claimants should keep the confirmation from the COSI or 2024 process, watch the official website for the distribution notice, and make sure any response is sent through the administrator’s own channel. Anyone who moved since filing should update the address there, since a check sent to a stale address is the most common way a valid claim goes unpaid. A check that a bank accepted and then reversed as “Refer to Maker” should not be deposited again: the administrator mailed replacement checks, each with an additional $20 toward bank fees, to affected class members on September 28, 2026, and anyone whose bank charged more than $20 or whose replacement has not arrived should contact the administrator through the same channel. The general steps are in what to do when a settlement check is returned. OpenClassActions cannot locate a claim, revise purchase data, or predict an individual award.Official Information
Review the latest information on the official Tuna End Purchaser settlement website website.
Case
In re Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation
Case Number
15-MD-2670 DMS (MSB)
Court
U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
Judge
Dana M. Sabraw
Administrator
JND Legal Administration
Purchase Period
June 1, 2011–July 1, 2015
Combined Settlements
$152.2 million
Court Approval
November 22, 2024
Distribution Order
July 27, 2026
Replacement Checks Mailed
September 28, 2026
Status
Payments in progress
Official Website
official Tuna End Purchaser settlement website
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