People who applied for a Washington job with Mercurys Madness Inc., which runs Mercurys Coffee Co., between January 1, 2023 and August 10, 2026, through a posting that did not list pay or benefits, will be paid automatically from the $450,000 Mercurys job postings class action settlement; there is no claim form to file. The final approval hearing is set for January 8, 2027.
Current Status
There is no claim form: class members will be paid automatically if the court gives final approval. King County Superior Court preliminarily approved the $450,000 settlement on August 10, 2026, and the final approval hearing is scheduled for January 8, 2027. The deadline to opt out, object, or choose a digital payment is October 21, 2026. No payment date had been announced as of September 29, 2026.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
Judge Janet Helson of King County Superior Court preliminarily approved the settlement in Mitchell v. Mercurys Madness Inc., No. 25-2-18461-7 SEA, on August 10, 2026. Notices have gone out to class members, and the administrator, Simpluris, has opened the official settlement website.The case was filed in June 2025. The named plaintiff alleged that Mercurys Madness Inc., the company behind the Eastside coffee chain Mercurys Coffee Co., posted Washington job openings without the wage scale or salary range and the general description of benefits that Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act has required in job postings by employers with 15 or more employees since January 1, 2023. Mercurys denies it did anything wrong or can be held liable, and settling is not an admission of wrongdoing. The court has not decided the merits.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is everyone who, from January 1, 2023 through August 10, 2026, applied for a job opening in Washington with Mercurys Madness Inc. where the posting did not disclose a wage scale or salary range, a general description of benefits and other compensation, or both. Mercurys represented in the settlement agreement that 3,505 people fit that definition.Class members were identified from Mercurys’ records and should have received a notice. Someone who believes they were left off the list must raise it with the administrator, and Mercurys’ records control unless the applicant can show documentation that they should have been included.
How Much Can You Get?
The notice estimates each class member’s payment at $73.31. Every class member who does not opt out receives an equal share; there are no tiers.The fund is $450,000, paid by Mercurys’ insurer, Hartford Underwriters Insurance Company. According to the settlement agreement, the amount is based on the company’s $500,000 employment practices liability policy limit minus estimated defense costs, which is why the per-person figure is far below the $5,000 in statutory damages per applicant the complaint sought. Before class payments, the fund covers attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses of $150,000 (about one-third of the fund), a $15,000 service award for the named plaintiff, and administration costs capped at $30,000, all subject to court approval.
The final amount could rise slightly. Any unused administration money goes back to class members, the shares of anyone who opts out are reallocated to everyone else, and any fee or service award amount the court declines to approve is added to the class fund.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
None to get paid. There is no claim form and no documents to send. The notice includes a Login ID and PIN, which are needed only to switch from a paper check to PayPal or Venmo, or to update a mailing address on the settlement website. Anyone who cannot find theirs can request them from the administrator through the website.What Is the Deadline?
October 21, 2026 is the deadline to request exclusion (the letter must be postmarked by that date), to file an objection with the court, and to choose a digital payment method online. The notice does not give a time of day or time zone for the online deadline.Class members who want a paper check do not need to meet any deadline, as long as the administrator has a mailing address that will reach them.
How Do You Take Action?
To be paid by check, do nothing except make sure your mailing address is current. To get PayPal or Venmo instead, or to update an address, use the Address Update/Payment Selection form on the official Mercurys Madness settlement website with the Login ID and PIN from your notice.To opt out, which keeps the right to sue Mercurys separately over the same postings but means no payment, mail a signed exclusion request to the administrator by October 21, 2026, with your full name, address and a statement that you want to be excluded; exclusions by phone or email are not accepted. To object instead, stay in the class and file a written objection with the court by the same date, sending copies to the lawyers for both sides. The notice lists everything an objection must include.
What Happens Next?
The court will decide whether to grant final approval at a hearing on January 8, 2027 at 8:30 a.m. before Judge Helson in Seattle, which can also be attended by Zoom. The date can change; any change will be posted on the settlement website. Mercurys can also cancel the deal if more than 10% of class members opt out.If the settlement is approved and there is no appeal, the agreement’s timetable has it take effect 31 days after the final approval order, the insurer fund it within 30 days after that, and the administrator send payments within 14 days of funding. Checks must be cashed within 180 days, and PayPal payments that go unclaimed for 30 days can be resent on request during that window.
The Washington job posting settlements tracker lists other open pay transparency settlements, including the Cosco Fire Protection settlement brought by the same class counsel.
Sources and Verification
• Official settlement website, Mitchell v. Mercurys Madness Inc. — FAQs, deadlines, hearing details and payment selection.• Court-approved Notice of Class Action Settlement — class definition, estimated payment, options and objection requirements.
• Settlement Agreement and Class Action Complaint (filed June 23, 2025), available on the settlement website’s Important Documents page — fund, insurance limits, fees, class size, payment timetable and unclaimed funds.
Questions
Do I have to file a claim to get paid?
No. Class members are identified from Mercurys’ application records, and anyone who does not opt out is sent a payment if the court grants final approval. Payments go out as paper checks by default. Class members who want PayPal or Venmo instead can choose it on the settlement website with the Login ID and PIN from their notice by October 21, 2026.
Why is the payment only about $73 when the lawsuit asked for $5,000 each?
The complaint sought $5,000 in statutory damages per applicant, but the settlement is capped by Mercurys’ employment practices liability insurance. The agreement says the $450,000 fund reflects the $500,000 policy limit minus estimated defense costs, and the insurer is paying it. Split among roughly 3,505 class members after fees, the service award and administration costs, that works out to an estimated $73.31 each.
What if I choose PayPal and miss the payment?
Under the settlement agreement, PayPal payments that are not claimed expire after 30 days, but a class member can ask the administrator to resend the money electronically or by check at any time during the 180-day cashing period. Money still unclaimed after that is sent to the State of Washington’s unclaimed property program in the class member’s name.
Could the settlement fall apart?
It could. The court still has to grant final approval at the January 8, 2027 hearing, and the agreement lets Mercurys void the deal if more than 10% of class members opt out. If the settlement is voided or not approved, no payments are made and the case returns to where it stood before the agreement.
Can the estimated payment go up?
Slightly. Administration costs are capped at $30,000, and any unused amount goes back to class members. Shares of anyone who opts out return to the class fund, and if the court awards less than the requested fees or service award, the difference is added to class payments.
