StarKist Tuna has agreed to a class action lawsuit settlement that will provide customers with either $25 cash or $50 worth of tuna vouchers. The lawsuit filed against the tuna giant claims that the company was under-filling tuna cans by several tenths of an ounce. Anyone who purchased a can of StarKist tuna between February 19, 2009 and October 31, 2014 is eligible to file a claim. No receipt is necessary.
NBC News reports that a lawsuit was filed by one tuna lover after he discovered that his five ounce can of tuna was on the light side. The lawsuit alleges that the tuna company under-filled some of its five-ounce canned tuna products by several tenths of an ounce. This under-filling is in direct violation of federal law which states that a five-ounce can must contain between 2.84 and 3.23 ounces of tuna depending on the variety. However, the lawsuit says that StarKist did not meet these strict guidelines and was short by a few tenths of an ounce on average.
Instead of taking the case to court, StarKist has agreed to settle with affected consumers by giving them the option to accept a $25 check or, if they agree to purchase StarKist tuna product with the money, the amount increases to $50. To ensure the money is spent on tuna, those opting for the $50 will receive it in the form of tuna vouchers.
So who is eligible to file a claim in the Starkist tuna lawsuit? Consumers who purchased the Chunk Light Tuna in Water, Chunk Light Tuna in Oil, Solid White Tuna in Water, or Solid White Tuna in Oil between February 19, 2009 and October 31, 2014 are eligible and can file a claim online for a $50 tuna voucher or $25 cash through the settlement website aptly named TunaLawsuit.com .
Claims must be received before November 20, 2015, as a final review of the claimants will take place on December 17, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.
While some are struggling to decide if they should take the $25 cash or $50 worth of tuna.
The most agonizing decision I’ve made in the last month is whether to claim $25 or $50 of tuna from the Starkist lawsuit.
— Caitlin Bower (@galinja) August 30, 2015
Others quickly snatched up the free tuna vouchers.
I am getting $50.00 of starkist tuna vouchers for a class action lawsuit….. #LifeGoals — Clarkie (@katelinmantia) August 29, 2015
Totally just file a claim in that StarKist lawsuit for $50 in canned tuna
— I’m a free bit, baby (@syd_viciously) August 29, 2015
Do you think StarKist made a wise decision by settling the lawsuit outside of the court system? If you are eligible for a tuna settlement claim, will you be opting for the $25 cash or $50 tuna voucher?
[Image Credit: StarKist ]
