Safeway Lawsuit: What Is Pending, What Settled, and Whether You Can Claim
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As of October 2026, the Safeway lawsuit in the news is Washington State's suit over “buy one get one free” pricing, filed April 27, 2026. A separate Washington opioid trial against Albertsons and Safeway has finished, with a ruling expected in November. A wine-discount class action is moving forward in federal court. None of these has a settlement, a fund or a claim form today.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Current Cases Allege
Safeway is owned by Albertsons Companies, which also runs Albertsons and Haggen stores, so most suits name both.
BOGO pricing (Washington). The attorney general's complaint alleges the stores raised prices on items in the weeks before a “buy one get one free” promotion and lowered them within about 30 days after it ended. Its example: olive oil at a Gig Harbor Albertsons went from $6.99 to $10.99 for the promotion, then back to $6.99. The state alleges overcharges on 3,190,584 transactions from October 2019 to May 2024, worth as much as $19.7 million. Albertsons told Grocery Dive it strongly disagrees and that the claims are “based on flawed analysis and data errors.”
Opioids (Washington). The state alleges Albertsons and Safeway pharmacies failed to resolve red flags on opioid prescriptions. In closing, it argued the companies dispensed more than 641 million opioid pills in Washington between 2006 and 2022, with 63% raising red flags. The companies argue their pharmacies met or exceeded the standard of care.
Wine discounts (California). The proposed class action alleges Safeway advertised wine “discounts” off a regular price that it never actually returned to.
Case Details
BOGO case: State of Washington v. Albertsons Companies and others, filed April 27, 2026 in King County Superior Court under the state Consumer Protection Act. The state seeks an injunction, restitution to Washington consumers, civil penalties and interest (attorney general's announcement).
Opioid case: Washington's 2022 suit against several pharmacy chains, now only against Albertsons and Safeway, before Judge Janet Helson in Seattle. The bench trial began July 13, 2026 and ran about two months. Washington seeks roughly $2.2 billion as the companies' share of a $44 billion abatement plan.
Wine case: Tempest et al. v. Safeway, Inc., No. 3:24-cv-06553, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley.
Status as of October 2026: Three Active Cases, No Open Claim
Opioid trial: closing arguments were heard in September 2026; the judge is expected to rule in November 2026. Washington is not part of the nationwide opioid settlement framework Albertsons announced on April 14, 2026. That framework pays states, local governments and tribes — not individuals.
Wine class action: on August 6, 2026 the court refused to dismiss it. No class has been certified and there is no settlement.
Recent Safeway settlements that took claims are closed: the wage settlement for in-store product promoters (deadline March 3, 2026) and the text-message settlement (deadline September 10, 2025).
Follow this case
There's no claim deadline yet. We'll email you if a settlement opens a claim period.
Am I Affected?
Washington shoppers who bought BOGO items at Safeway, Albertsons or Haggen between October 2019 and May 2024 are the people the state's case is about. It is a government enforcement suit, not a class action — there is nothing to join. If the court orders restitution, the state would announce how it is paid.
California wine buyers may fall within the proposed class in Tempest. You do not sign up for a class action; if a class is certified or a settlement is reached, notice goes out from a court-appointed administrator.
Opioid case: the plaintiff is the state. Individuals do not file claims.
Is There Money? What Has Actually Been Paid
Past Safeway settlements, with the date of each event:
Promoter wage settlement (Trevethan v. Best Reps): $1.04 million for an estimated 1,335 people who sold or promoted products in California Safeway stores or Costco warehouses between June 12, 2015 and November 4, 2025. Albertsons and Safeway agreed to pay $475,000 of it; we could not confirm final court approval or payment. The claim and challenge deadline was March 3, 2026; people who received a mailed notice did not need to file.
Text-message settlement (Kamel v. Albertsons): $5.95 million for people who kept receiving marketing texts from Safeway, Albertsons or Star Market after opting out, between June 1, 2023 and July 11, 2025. Payments were estimated at $100 or more. Claims closed September 10, 2025; the final approval hearing was set for October 3, 2025.
Oregon BOGO class action: per the Washington attorney general, Albertsons paid $107 million to settle a 2016 lawsuit over Oregon BOGO deals.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 24,037 other fraud casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025, 27.4% of them filed as class actions:
- 17.3% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 22.5% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 17.3% and 39.8%.
- 10.4% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 111 reached a trial (0.9%), after a median of 30 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 7 months.
- Only 735 of them (3.1%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $663,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal other fraud cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Safeway Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
2022 — Washington Sues Pharmacy Chains Over Opioids
The state sues Albertsons, Safeway and other chains. The other defendants later leave through settlements or bankruptcy.
- 2
September 18, 2024 — Wine-Discount Class Action Filed
Tempest v. Safeway is filed in federal court in Northern California, No. 3:24-cv-06553.
- 3
April 14, 2026 — Nationwide Opioid Settlement Framework
Albertsons announces up to $655.1 million for states and local governments and $21.7 million for tribes, without admitting liability. Washington is not included.
- 4
April 27, 2026 — Washington Files BOGO Pricing Suit
The attorney general sues in King County Superior Court, alleging inflated pre-promotion prices on 3,190,584 transactions.
- 5
August 6, 2026 — Wine Case Survives Dismissal
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley refuses to throw out the proposed class action.
- 6
September 2026 — Opioid Trial Closes
The bench trial that began July 13, 2026 ends with closing arguments. A ruling is expected in November 2026.
Three Things to Watch For
Several Safeway cases in the news, but none taking claims, is exactly the gap imposters fill:
“Claim your Safeway BOGO refund”
The Washington BOGO case has no settlement and no refund process. Any site asking for your card number or Safeway for U login to “process” a refund is not connected to the court or the attorney general.
Texts about the old text-message settlement
The $5.95 million text settlement closed to claims on September 10, 2025. A new text saying you can still claim, or must pay a fee to release a check, is fake. The administrator in that case was Kroll.
“Opioid settlement payment” offers
The Albertsons opioid framework and the Washington trial pay governments and tribes, not individual customers. No one can sell you a share of it.
Safeway Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
What is the Safeway lawsuit in the news right now?
Most likely Washington State's lawsuit over “buy one get one free” pricing, filed April 27, 2026, or the state's opioid trial against Albertsons and Safeway, which ended in September 2026 with a ruling expected in November 2026.
Can I file a claim in a Safeway settlement today?
As of October 2026, no Safeway settlement we could verify is accepting claims. The promoter wage settlement closed March 3, 2026 and the text-message settlement closed September 10, 2025. Check open class action settlements for current deadlines.
I shopped at Safeway in Washington. Will I get money from the BOGO case?
Not yet, and maybe not directly. The state is asking the court for restitution to consumers, but the case was filed in April 2026 and nothing has been decided. If restitution is ordered, the attorney general would announce how it is paid.
What did Safeway allegedly do with BOGO prices?
The complaint alleges prices were raised before a promotion and cut again within about 30 days afterward, so the “free” item was paid for through a higher first price. Albertsons disputes this and says the state's analysis contains data errors.
Is Safeway part of the opioid settlement?
Albertsons, which owns Safeway, announced a settlement framework on April 14, 2026 covering participating states, local governments and tribes. Washington is not included, which is why its case went to trial. None of that money goes to individual customers.
What is the Safeway wine lawsuit?
Tempest v. Safeway, No. 3:24-cv-06553 in the Northern District of California, alleges Safeway advertised wine discounts off a regular price it never returned to. On August 6, 2026 the judge refused to dismiss it. No class is certified and there is no settlement.
I worked as a product demonstrator at Safeway. Did I miss the wage settlement?
The claim and challenge deadline in Trevethan v. Best Reps was March 3, 2026. If you received a mailed notice, you did not need to file a claim to be paid. For questions about your payment, contact the settlement administrator, Simpluris.
Are the Labor Department wage investigations lawsuits against Safeway?
No. The 84 records are federal wage-and-hour investigations at individual establishments operating under the Safeway name, from 1997 to 2022. They are not lawsuits and not claims you can join.
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.
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