Hobby Lobby Lawsuit: The Fake-Discount Case That Survived Dismissal
Questions about this case?
AI Legal Assistant · free · answers in seconds · general information, not legal advice
The Hobby Lobby lawsuit in the news is Loza v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a proposed class action in federal court in California. It alleges that the chain's permanent “sale” prices are measured against “market value” prices nobody actually pays. In a ruling reported in July 2026 the judge let most of it go forward. As of October 6, 2026 there is no settlement, no fund and no claim form.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Pricing Lawsuit Says
Shoppers allege that Hobby Lobby shows a higher “marked” or “market value” price next to a discounted price, in stores and online, and that the higher figure does not reflect real market conditions. The Second Amended Complaint splits the products into two groups: “Always Discounted” items said to be on sale every day, and “Habitually Discounted” items said to be on sale so often that the sale price is effectively the regular price.
A central point: the plaintiffs allege many of these items are sold only by Hobby Lobby, so there is no outside market that could produce a genuine “market value.” Hobby Lobby points to its own disclosures that “Discounts [were] provided every day” and that “marked prices reflect general U.S. market value for similar products.” These are allegations; Hobby Lobby disputes them and nothing has been proven.
Case Details
Loza v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., No. 4:24-cv-07861, was filed on November 11, 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and is assigned to Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín. The plaintiffs sue under California's False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act, plus fraud, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment, and they have demanded a jury.
Status: Moving Forward, No Settlement
Surviving a motion to dismiss is not a win on the merits. No class has been certified, and as of October 6, 2026 there is no settlement, no fund, no administrator and no claim form.
Other cases under the name. Federal dockets also show individual suits against Hobby Lobby Stores filed in 2026 — for example an Americans with Disabilities Act employment case in the Middle District of Florida (No. 8:26-cv-02273, filed August 5, 2026) and a case removed to the Eastern District of California on September 30, 2026 (No. 2:26-cv-03437). These are separate cases, not the pricing case; the Otto filing is an employment case, and the docket index does not show what the Mayo removal is about.
From our records. The Settlement Insight database of federal and state enforcement records lists 19 matters tied to Hobby Lobby, as of October 6, 2026:
— 7 California Attorney General Proposition 65 settlements, 2016–2021, totaling $125,200;
— 2 California Attorney General Proposition 65 judgments, 2016–2018, totaling $576,000;
— 3 EEOC matters, 2009–2023, totaling $85,000;
— 7 federal wage-and-hour investigations, 2003–2014, by the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, at establishments operating under the Hobby Lobby name (records of this kind can include authorized dealers and franchise locations). These are investigations at individual establishments, not lawsuits against the company.
Proposition 65 matters concern California's warning-label law for listed chemicals; payments in those matters go to the state and private enforcers, not to shoppers.
Follow this case
There's no claim deadline yet. We'll email you if a settlement opens a claim period.
Who Could Be Covered
The Loza plaintiffs seek to represent people who bought Hobby Lobby products advertised as discounted from a “marked” or “market value” price. The claims are brought under California law, so any class the court eventually certifies is likely to center on California purchases — but no class definition has been approved yet.
You do not need to sign up anywhere. If a class is certified or a settlement is reached, notice goes out through a court-appointed administrator, usually by email, mail or store-receipt records.
What to keep: receipts, order confirmations from the website and photos of shelf tags showing both prices. They are the kind of proof settlements in pricing cases often ask for.
Is There Money?
The dollar figures that do exist around Hobby Lobby belong to closed matters: $50,000 in a 2023 EEOC disability case, $35,000 in a 2009 EEOC case, and $3 million in a 2017 federal forfeiture settlement over smuggled cuneiform tablets. None of those paid consumers. To see settlements that are actually taking claims, use our list of open class action settlements.
Hobby Lobby Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
October 26, 2009 — EEOC Wheelchair Case Resolved
The EEOC announces a consent decree: $35,000 for a Rochester, Minnesota employee barred from working in a wheelchair (Civ. No. 08-05240).
- 2
July 5, 2017 — Artifacts Forfeiture Settlement
Hobby Lobby agrees to forfeit thousands of cuneiform tablets, about 144 cylinder seals and $3 million in a civil action in the Eastern District of New York.
- 3
May 9, 2023 — EEOC Service-Dog Case Settles
Hobby Lobby agrees to pay $50,000 under a three-year consent decree over a clerk at its Olathe, Kansas store who was refused her service dog (No. 22-cv-02258).
- 4
November 11, 2024 — Pricing Class Action Filed
Loza v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. is filed in the Northern District of California, challenging “market value” reference prices.
- 5
July 2026 — Motion to Dismiss Largely Denied
Judge Martínez-Olguín lets most claims proceed; the former-price theory and the unjust-enrichment claim are dismissed.
- 6
As of October 6, 2026 — Pretrial, No Settlement
The pricing case is pending. No class has been certified and there is no fund, claim form or deadline.
Three Things to Watch For
A well-known store name plus a lawsuit about “sales” is easy bait:
“Claim your Hobby Lobby refund” messages
There is no Hobby Lobby pricing settlement and no refund portal. A text or ad asking for your card number to “receive your share” is not connected to the Loza case.
Fake Hobby Lobby gift cards and coupons
Posts promising a large gift card “because of the lawsuit” lead to survey and data-harvesting pages. Lawsuit outcomes are announced through a court-appointed administrator, not through social-media giveaways.
Fees to “join the class action”
Nobody charges to include you in a class. If a class is certified you are in automatically unless you opt out; a request for an upfront fee is a red flag.
Hobby Lobby Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
What is the Hobby Lobby lawsuit about?
The case in the news is Loza v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., No. 4:24-cv-07861 in federal court in California. It alleges Hobby Lobby advertises permanent or near-permanent discounts measured against “market value” prices that, for products sold only at Hobby Lobby, have no real market behind them. Hobby Lobby disputes the claims.
Did Hobby Lobby lose the lawsuit?
No. In a ruling reported in July 2026 the judge largely denied Hobby Lobby's motion to dismiss, which only means the claims are plausible enough to continue. Nothing has been decided on the merits, and two parts of the case were dismissed.
Is there a Hobby Lobby settlement or claim form?
No. As of October 6, 2026 there is no settlement, no fund, no administrator and no claim form in the pricing case. If one is created, an official notice will name the administrator and the deadline.
Can I join the Hobby Lobby class action?
There is nothing to join. A class has not been certified. If it is, class members are included automatically unless they opt out. Keep receipts and online order confirmations in the meantime.
Does this apply outside California?
The claims are brought under California consumer laws, so the case is focused on California purchases. No class definition has been approved, so the final scope is not known.
What other lawsuits has Hobby Lobby faced?
Closed matters include two EEOC disability cases ($35,000 in 2009 and $50,000 in 2023), the July 5, 2017 settlement over imported cuneiform tablets ($3 million plus forfeiture), and the 2014 Supreme Court contraception-mandate case, which Hobby Lobby won. Individual employment and injury suits are also filed in federal courts.
What do the Proposition 65 and wage-and-hour records show?
Our enforcement-records database lists 7 Proposition 65 settlements ($125,200) and 2 Proposition 65 judgments ($576,000) in California, 3 EEOC matters ($85,000) and 7 federal wage-and-hour investigations at establishments operating under the Hobby Lobby name, 2003–2014. The wage-and-hour items are investigations at individual locations, not lawsuits against Hobby Lobby.
Is a letter or email about a Hobby Lobby settlement real?
As of October 6, 2026 no Hobby Lobby consumer settlement exists, so any message asking you to file a claim or pay a fee is not from a court process. Do not click links or give card details; check the court docket or this page instead.
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.