Is sdwatersettlement.com Legit? Yes — It Is the Official San Diego Water Rate Settlement Site
Settlement — Claims Process
Yes. www.sdwatersettlement.com is the court-authorized website for Patz v. City of San Diego, Case No. 37-2015-00023413-CU-MC-CTL in San Diego Superior Court, run by the settlement administrator CPT Group, Inc. The email address sdwatersettlement@cptgroup.com is the administrator’s real contact. The City of San Diego agreed to pay $40 million over single-family water rates charged between August 14, 2014 and December 1, 2023. You do not file a claim. The deadline to opt out or object is November 12, 2026; the final approval hearing is December 11, 2026.
Questions about this case?
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Who Runs sdwatersettlement.com and Why You Got the Notice
The site belongs to the settlement of a certified class action against the City of San Diego. The court-authorized notice, issued under the authority of the San Diego Superior Court, names www.SDWaterSettlement.com as the case website. The administrator is CPT Group, Inc. of Irvine, California, which the court approved to send notice, run the website and phone line, and pay class members.
The lawsuit claims the City charged unconstitutional single-family residential water rates because they were not proportional to the cost of providing the service. The City denies that it overcharged anyone or that any money is owed.
You were contacted because City records list you as a single-family residential water customer at some point between August 14, 2014 and December 1, 2023. Under the court-approved plan, CPT emails the notice where it has a valid email address and mails a postcard where it does not. It also published notice in the San Diego Union Tribune.
Case details
Patz v. City of San Diego, Case No. 37-2015-00023413-CU-MC-CTL, San Diego Superior Court, Department C-67, before Judge Michael T. Smyth. The complaint was filed July 14, 2015. Judge Smyth granted preliminary approval of the settlement on July 31, 2026. You can check the docket yourself on the court’s eCourt Public Portal by entering 37-2015-00023413, and the settlement documents are posted on the official Documents page.
The official contact details, from the settlement website: email SDWaterSettlement@cptgroup.com, toll-free 1-888-903-0334, mail to Patz v. City of San Diego, c/o CPT Group, Inc., PO Box 19504, Irvine, CA 92623. Anything that gives a different address for the administrator deserves suspicion.
Status: Settlement Preliminarily Approved, Opt-Out Window Open
If you have seen September 28, 2026 as the deadline elsewhere: the July 31 order originally set the response deadline at 59 calendar days after the order, which works out to September 28. The official site and the court-authorized notice now both give November 12, 2026. The official site wins.
The dates are on the official Important Dates page; open settlements with other deadlines are listed on our open settlements page.
What the Real Notice Says — and What It Asks You to Do
The genuine notice says you are a class member if you were a single-family residential water customer of the City of San Diego between August 14, 2014 and December 1, 2023. It tells you that you do not need to respond to be part of the settlement.
What it invites you to do on www.sdwatersettlement.com is optional: confirm your contact information and pick how you want to be paid — paper check or an electronic method such as direct deposit, PayPal or Zelle. CPT assigns each class member a unique identifier for this. The real notice never asks for a fee.
Not everyone in the class gets money. Only customers who were overcharged under the refund calculation the Court of Appeal affirmed receive a refund. Everyone in the class is bound by the release unless they opt out by November 12, 2026.
How Much and When
Each overcharged customer receives a prorated share of the net fund, based on the refund calculated for their account. The official site shows whether your account is estimated to receive a refund; our payout calculator shows how fees shrink a gross fund.
Timing: under the settlement agreement, CPT begins paying within 30 days of the “Date of Finality” — the point after final approval when appeals are exhausted or the time to appeal has run. The earliest that can follow is the December 11, 2026 hearing. Any message promising payment before final approval is not from the administrator.
Patz v. City of San Diego Timeline
July 14, 2015 — Lawsuit Filed
Ratepayers sue the City of San Diego in San Diego Superior Court, alleging single-family water rates were not proportional to the cost of service.
March 30, 2022 — Judgment for the Class
After trial, the court enters judgment for the class. The refund award totals $79,541,880.
2025 — Judgment Affirmed, New Law in Play
The Court of Appeal affirms with directions in Patz v. City of San Diego (2025) 113 Cal.App.5th 225; review is denied October 29, 2025. A new law, Government Code section 53758.5 (S.B. 1072), effective January 1, 2025, threatens direct refunds.
July 31, 2026 — $40 Million Settlement Preliminarily Approved
Judge Michael T. Smyth preliminarily approves the settlement for approximately 436,069 identified current and former customers. CPT Group is appointed administrator.
November 12, 2026 — Opt-Out and Objection Deadline
Last day to opt out or for an objection to be received, per the official website and notice.
December 11, 2026 — Final Fairness Hearing
Hearing at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-67. Payments begin only after final approval and any appeals.
Three Ways the San Diego Water Settlement Gets Faked
The real notice is short, sent by email or postcard, and asks for almost nothing. That makes imitations easy to spot:
Lookalike sites and the wrong water settlement
Searching “sdwatersettlement” turns up Flint, Michigan payment portals and settlement-listing sites with “claim” buttons. None of them handle this case. Type www.sdwatersettlement.com yourself, and check that any email comes from the cptgroup.com domain and points to PO Box 19504, Irvine, CA 92623.
“Send a Zelle payment to release your refund”
The real site lets you choose to receive money by Zelle, PayPal or direct deposit — it never asks you to send any. There is no processing fee: fees and costs come out of the $40 million fund. Anyone asking you to pay, or for your online-banking login, is not CPT.
Fake urgency around the deadline
Messages warning that you must “file your claim” or lose your refund are wrong on both counts: there is no claim form, and the only deadline — November 12, 2026 — is for opting out or objecting. A caller offering to opt you out or object for you for a fee is selling something you can do free with the official opt-out form.
sdwatersettlement.com — Questions People Actually Ask
Short answers to the questions people ask most about this case.
Is sdwatersettlement.com legit?
Yes. It is the court-authorized website for Patz v. City of San Diego, Case No. 37-2015-00023413-CU-MC-CTL, in San Diego Superior Court, run by the administrator CPT Group, Inc. The court-authorized notice names www.SDWaterSettlement.com as the case website.
Is an email from sdwatersettlement@cptgroup.com real?
The address is the administrator’s official contact, listed on the settlement website and in the notice. The court-approved plan has CPT emailing class members it has valid email addresses for. Still, do not rely on the sender line alone: open the site by typing www.sdwatersettlement.com rather than clicking, or call 1-888-903-0334.
Do I have to file a claim to get my water refund?
No. If you were overcharged under the court-affirmed calculation, you do not need to submit anything to receive a refund. You may optionally confirm your contact details and choose paper check, direct deposit, PayPal or Zelle on the official site.
Why do some sites say September 28 and others November 12?
The July 31, 2026 order set the response deadline 59 calendar days after the order — September 28. The official website and the court-authorized notice now give November 12, 2026 for both opting out and objecting. Go by the official site.
How much will I get, and when?
A prorated share of the net fund based on the refund calculated for your account — and nothing if your account was not overcharged. Payments start within 30 days of the Date of Finality, which cannot come before final approval at or after the December 11, 2026 hearing. The official site shows whether your account is estimated to receive a refund.
What is a water settlement?
Here it is the resolution of a ratepayer lawsuit: the City of San Diego pays $40 million to end claims that its single-family water rates between August 14, 2014 and December 1, 2023 were unconstitutional, without admitting it overcharged anyone. It is not related to the Flint, Michigan water settlement. This page cannot help with Flint payments; use the administrator named in the official Flint notice instead.
Is this the same as the Otay Water District settlement?
No. Coziahr v. Otay Water District, Case No. 37-2015-00400000-CU-MC-CTL, is a separate $12,000,000 settlement for Otay customers with its own website, otaywaterdistrictcase.com. The two cases started together and were later severed.
What if I don’t want to be part of it?
Send the official opt-out form from www.sdwatersettlement.com to CPT Group by November 12, 2026, with your full name, mailing address, a telephone number and/or email address, and your handwritten or electronic signature. You get no payment but keep the right to sue on your own. To object instead, your letter must be received by November 12, 2026; you can object and still be paid.
About This Information
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 - $236 billion in real payouts analyzed · See what we found
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Lawsuit status, eligibility, and compensation can change. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and does not represent any party. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.
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