Amazon Lawsuit & Settlement Tracker: What You Can Claim Now
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Two Amazon settlements matter for consumers right now. If Amazon owed you a refund on a return and the settlement email put you in Subclass B, your claim deadline is December 1, 2026; the rest of that $309.5 million class will be paid automatically once the settlement is final. If you used 11 to 20 Prime benefits in a year, a new round of automatic FTC Prime refunds starts October 1, 2026 — nothing to file, but you have to accept the payment. Everything else with Amazon's name on it — the marketplace-price class action, the FTC monopoly case, the new ad-pricing suit — has no money and no claim form as of September 30, 2026.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
Active Now: The Returns Settlement and the Prime Refunds
1. The returns settlement. In In re: Amazon Return Policy Litigation, customers alleged that some of Amazon's return and refund practices violate Washington consumer-protection and other laws: returns never refunded, refunded late or wrongly, or refunded and then charged again. Amazon denies wrongdoing but agreed to pay $309.5 million into a common fund. That comes on top of refunds Amazon started paying on its own in 2025 — about $570 million by December 1, 2025, per the settlement agreement. The court preliminarily approved the deal on August 18, 2026. Official site: ReturnSettlement.com.
2. The Prime refunds. This is the FTC's case over Prime sign-ups and cancellations — a $2.5 billion settlement, not a class action. There is no claim form: Amazon pays automatically, and by September 2026 it had issued over $845 million in refunds, per the FTC. A revised order signed September 14, 2026 adds automatic payments from October 1, 2026 for people who used 11 to 20 Prime benefits in a 12-month period and raises the total cap to $200. Unaccepted payments in that round are voided on March 5, 2027. Details: our Amazon Prime settlement page and our report on the $200 cap.
Case Details
All five cases are in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Returns: In re: Amazon Return Policy Litigation, No. 2:23-cv-01372-JNW, before Judge Jamal N. Whitehead. Final approval hearing: March 16, 2027, 10:00 a.m. Pacific.
Prime refunds: FTC v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 2:23-cv-00932-JHC, before Judge John H. Chun.
Marketplace-price class action: De Coster et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 2:21-cv-00693-JHC, before Judge Chun. A related consumer case, Frame-Wilson v. Amazon.com, No. 2:20-cv-00424, is before the same judge.
FTC monopoly case: FTC v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 2:23-cv-01495, filed September 26, 2023 with state attorneys general, before Judge Chun.
FTC advertising case: FTC v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-03097, filed August 31, 2026 with 22 states, before Judge Chun.
Every Other Amazon Case, as of September 30, 2026
FTC monopoly case: bench trial set for March 29, 2027. On September 16, 2026, MLex reported that Amazon plans to ask the FTC whether they can postpone that date, after a separate California antitrust trial was moved from January 19 to March 22. No settlement, nothing to claim.
FTC advertising case: filed August 31, 2026. The FTC and 22 states allege Amazon covertly raised what more than one million brands and sellers paid to advertise. Those are businesses. The FTC says the costs were largely passed on to consumers, but shoppers have nothing to file.
Ring: as of July 2026 the FTC was sending Zelle payments to eligible Ring customers who never cashed an earlier check or accepted a PayPal payment. No application needed.
Don't miss the claim deadline
Claims are due by December 1, 2026. We'll email you 7 days and 1 day before the deadline.
Are You In? Three Quick Tests
Returns settlement: you are in the class if you started a return or asked for a refund on a physical product sold through Amazon.com and received in the U.S. between September 5, 2017 and February 12, 2026, and you incorrectly did not get a refund, got a late or incorrect refund, or were refunded and later incorrectly charged again for it. The settlement email told you whether you are in Subclass B — the only group that must file. Keep the Notice ID it contains.
Prime refunds: U.S. Prime members who signed up through one of the challenged sign-up flows, or could not cancel online, between June 23, 2019 and June 23, 2025, and who used no more than 20 Prime benefits in any 12-month period. Amazon's records decide.
Marketplace-price class: everyone in the U.S. who, on or after May 26, 2017, bought five or more new, physical goods from third-party sellers on Amazon. Check “Sold by” in Your Orders. You are in unless you opted out by August 31, 2026.
What the Money Looks Like — Honestly
Prime: a refund of Prime fees, capped at $51 per payment round and $200 in total. The top-up of up to $149 comes only if less than $1 billion has been accepted by the end of March 2027, and only for people who accepted an earlier payment.
De Coster and both FTC lawsuits: no settlement, no fund, no claim form.
Amazon Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
September 26, 2023 — FTC Monopoly Suit Filed
The FTC and state attorneys general sue Amazon in federal court in Washington state (No. 2:23-cv-01495). No settlement since.
- 2
August 6, 2025 — Marketplace-Price Class Certified
Judge Chun certifies a nationwide consumer class in De Coster v. Amazon.com: U.S. buyers of five or more new items from third-party sellers since May 26, 2017.
- 3
November 2025 — Prime Refunds Begin
Amazon starts sending automatic refunds under the FTC's $2.5 billion Prime settlement. By September 2026, over $845 million has been issued.
- 4
August 18, 2026 — $309.5M Returns Settlement Approved Preliminarily
Judge Whitehead preliminarily approves the returns settlement; notices go out by email, and claims are filed at ReturnSettlement.com.
- 5
August 31, 2026 — New FTC Ad Suit; Opt-Out Closes
The FTC and 22 states sue over ad pricing charged to sellers. The same day is the last day to opt out of the De Coster class.
- 6
What Comes Next
October 1, 2026: new Prime refund round. December 1, 2026: returns claim deadline. March 16, 2027: final approval hearing. March 29, 2027: FTC bench trial. June 14, 2027: De Coster jury trial.
Three Amazon Settlement Scams to Watch For
Two real payouts plus a giant class with no payout yet is ideal cover for imposters:
“Confirm your Amazon refund” login links
The real returns notice came by email from the settlement administrator and points to ReturnSettlement.com. The claim form asks for contact details, your Notice ID and details of the return — there is no field for your Amazon password. A sign-in page outside amazon.com is phishing.
Fees to “unlock” the Prime $200
The FTC says it is not contacting anyone about refunds in the Amazon matter and never asks for money. Any top-up of up to $149 would be paid automatically, and only if less than $1 billion has been accepted, to people who accepted an earlier payment. Nobody can speed it up for a fee.
“File your Amazon antitrust claim” sites
There is no claim form in De Coster or in either FTC case. Class members are in automatically, and no money exists yet. A site collecting card or bank details to “register” you is harvesting data, not filing anything.
Amazon Lawsuits — Questions People Actually Ask
Is there an Amazon settlement I can claim right now?
As of September 30, 2026, yes, one with a deadline. In the $309.5 million returns settlement, Subclass B members must file at ReturnSettlement.com by December 1, 2026; Subclass A is paid automatically. Prime refunds need no claim — eligible people are paid automatically, with a new round from October 1, 2026.
How do I know which returns subclass I am in?
Check the settlement email. According to the claim form, the notice “identified whether they were in Settlement Subclass B.” No email, or unsure? Call the administrator toll-free at 1-888-553-4246 or write to info@ReturnSettlement.com.
When does the Amazon returns settlement pay?
Not before final approval. The hearing is March 16, 2027, and payments go out only after the settlement is approved and becomes final — appeals can delay that. Subclass A members choose a payment method within 105 days after final approval; otherwise the administrator tries Zelle, then other methods.
Is the Amazon class action over marketplace prices paying anything?
No. De Coster v. Amazon.com is certified but undecided, and no money or benefits are available now. The jury trial is set for June 14, 2027. If you bought five or more new items from third-party sellers since May 26, 2017, you are in the class without doing anything.
What is the FTC's Amazon antitrust case?
The FTC and state attorneys general sued on September 26, 2023 (No. 2:23-cv-01495). A bench trial is set for March 29, 2027, and Amazon has said it plans to ask the FTC about postponing it. It is a government enforcement case, not a class action, and there is nothing for consumers to join.
What is the new Amazon lawsuit about advertising?
On August 31, 2026 the FTC and 22 states sued Amazon (No. 2:26-cv-03097), alleging it covertly raised the prices more than one million brands and sellers paid to advertise. The alleged victims are advertisers; shoppers have no claim to file.
Is an email about an Amazon settlement real?
Check where it points. Returns notices come from the court-appointed administrator and link to ReturnSettlement.com. Prime payments come from Amazon or SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com; the FTC refund page says the FTC is not contacting people about Amazon refunds. A message asking for a fee is not real.
What other Amazon lawsuits are there?
Smaller ones: sales-tax overcharge class actions with no settlement; a $2 million break-pay settlement limited to hourly Amazon Go and Fresh staff in Washington; and a streamer's suit over AI training on Twitch, filed August 20, 2026 (our report). Ring customers may still get a Zelle payment from the FTC's Ring refund program.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
Related Consumer Brand Lawsuits
Amazon Prime Settlement
Automatic refunds from October 1, 2026; total cap raised to $200
Amazon Sales Tax Lawsuit
Overcharge class actions; no settlement or claim form yet
Twitch / Amazon AI Lawsuit
Streamer sues over AI training; filed August 20, 2026
Amazon Unpaid Wages Settlement
$2M break-pay deal for Washington Go and Fresh staff only