Tuna Settlement: $152.2 Million Paid, Bounced Checks Replaced
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This is the tuna class action over canned and pouched tuna prices from 2011 to 2015. The $152.2 million end-purchaser settlement started paying approved claims on September 8, 2026. About 22,850 of those checks were wrongly refused by the paying bank; replacement checks with an extra $20 were mailed on September 28, 2026. If you did not file a claim by December 31, 2024, there is no payment for you and no way to file now.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Tuna Class Action Was About
The End Payer Plaintiffs — ordinary buyers, not stores — alleged that from June 2011 to July 2015 the three big packaged-tuna companies “participated in an unlawful conspiracy to raise, fix, maintain, or stabilize the price of Packaged Tuna products.” The defendants were StarKist and its parent Dongwon Industries, Chicken of the Sea (Tri-Union Seafoods and Thai Union, called “COSI” in the papers), and Bumble Bee with its parent companies, the Lion Companies. Bumble Bee itself filed for bankruptcy and was dismissed from the case.
StarKist and Lion deny many of the allegations and settled to avoid trial. The court never decided who was right.
Case Details
In re Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:15-md-02670-DMS-MSB, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, before Judge Dana M. Sabraw. The consumer class was certified in July 2019; the Ninth Circuit affirmed on April 8, 2022, and the Supreme Court declined review on November 14, 2022.
Two separate tracks share the case number. The end purchaser track (people who bought tuna at a store) is the one on this page. The direct purchaser track covers businesses that bought straight from the canners between June 1, 2011 and July 31, 2015; its settlements — $38,650,000 in cash plus StarKist products valued at $26,100,000 — paid eligible claimants on March 17, 2026, per TunaDirectPurchaserCase.com.
Status: Paying Out, Claims Closed
The bounced checks. On September 16, 2026, the administrator, JND Legal Administration, and the paying bank, BankUnited, learned that approximately 22,850 checks (out of approximately 408,000 mailed) had been improperly dishonored — misidentified by the bank’s fraud prevention protocols, per class counsel’s notice to the court. The filing says there are sufficient funds and no settlement funds were affected. On September 28, 2026, replacement checks with an extra $20 were mailed to 20,998 affected class members; approximately 1,800 others had “other restrictions and exceptions,” and JND says it is working with them. PayPal payments were not affected.
As of October 2026, this is the latest update on TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com. More detail on the distribution is in our tuna settlement payout report.
Who Gets a Tuna Settlement Check
Only people who filed a valid claim by December 31, 2024 (or filed earlier in the 2022 Chicken of the Sea round, which counts automatically). The class covered people in Arizona, Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin who bought cans or pouches smaller than forty ounces for their own use between June 1, 2011 and July 1, 2015. Meal kits were excluded.
If you were in the class but did not file, the settlement site is blunt: you “will not receive a payment, but you will be bound by the Court’s judgment.” There is no second claims period.
How Much the Tuna Settlement Pays
Where the money went: $152.2 million in settlements; attorneys’ fees of $48,320,739.40; service awards of $294,000 to the named plaintiffs; plus costs and administration. Class counsel put the net fund at $97,539,130.47 as of June 1, 2026, before a $925,000 reserve for mailing the payments. The court record shows 980,568 claims processed. Money left over after uncashed checks lapse goes to a second distribution if worthwhile, otherwise to the Consumer Protection Policy Center at the University of San Diego. To compare with other cases, see the class action payout calculator.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 6,659 antitrust casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025, 37.3% of them filed as class actions:
- 19.7% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 14.4% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 19.7% and 34.1%.
- 11.6% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 121 reached a trial (0.8%), after a median of 37 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 12.3 months.
- Almost none record a money award in this data (32 of 6,659), and the recorded figures are capped, so we do not publish an average.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal antitrust 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.
Tuna Settlement Timeline
- 1
June 2011 – July 2015 — The Alleged Conspiracy
The period in which, the lawsuit alleged, the three canners fixed packaged-tuna prices. Class purchases run June 1, 2011 to July 1, 2015.
- 2
July 2019 – November 2022 — Class Upheld
The consumer class is certified in July 2019, the Ninth Circuit affirms on April 8, 2022, and the Supreme Court declines review on November 14, 2022. The $16.2 million COSI settlement is approved in July 2022.
- 3
November 22, 2024 — StarKist and Lion Approved
Judge Sabraw grants final approval of the $130 million StarKist and $6 million Lion settlements. Claims close December 31, 2024.
- 4
July 27, 2026 — Distribution Ordered
With the last StarKist (December 2025) and COSI (March 2026) payments in, the court orders final distribution and approves 310 late claims.
- 5
September 8, 2026 — Payments Issued
Checks and PayPal payments go out. On September 16, 2026, about 22,850 checks are found to have been wrongly dishonored by the paying bank.
- 6
September 28, 2026 — Replacement Checks Mailed
Replacements with an extra $20 go to 20,998 affected class members. Each replacement check has its own 60-day window to cash.
Tuna Settlement Scams to Watch For
A widely reported payout, a bank glitch and emails about checks are exactly what imposters copy:
“Your tuna check bounced — confirm your bank details”
The real fix needed nothing from you: replacement checks were mailed to affected class members on September 28, 2026, to the same address used for the original check. The administrator does not need your bank login, card number or Social Security number to send one.
“Late tuna settlement claim” or “tuna claim form” sites
Claims closed December 31, 2024. Any site still taking tuna settlement claims, or charging a fee to “recover” your share, is not connected to the court. The only official site is TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com, run by JND.
Calls offering to switch your payment to PayPal or Zelle
The administrator says it is unable to reissue a payment via PayPal; a replacement check was already mailed to the same address used for the original check. Anyone offering a faster electronic payout for a “processing fee” is running a scam. To verify a check, call 866-615-0977 and press 8.
Tuna Settlement — Questions People Actually Ask
When is the tuna settlement payout date?
Payments for approved claims were issued on September 8, 2026, by mailed check or PayPal. Replacement checks for wrongly bounced checks were mailed on September 28, 2026.
My tuna settlement check bounced. What do I do?
Usually nothing, if you received an email from the administrator saying your check was affected: on September 28, 2026, replacement checks with an extra $20 were mailed to 20,998 affected class members. About 1,800 others had other restrictions and exceptions, and JND says it is working with them. If your bank charged more than $20, email info@TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com with documentation. If you got no such email, you are not affected and your check is safe to deposit.
How long do I have to cash my tuna settlement check?
Sixty days from issue. The administrator gives November 7, 2026 as the deadline for the original September 8, 2026 checks; replacement checks have their own new 60-day window. Under the court’s order, an uncashed check lapses and the entitlement is forfeited.
How much is the tuna settlement check per person?
It depends on how many cans you claimed. The notice estimated about $0.12 per can, with a $5.00 minimum below which nothing was paid. The final per-can rate has not been published, so reports of specific amounts online cannot be checked against an official figure.
Can I still file a tuna end purchaser settlement claim?
No. The deadline was December 31, 2024. The court accepted 310 late claims filed within a grace period, but no new claims are being taken.
Is the tuna settlement check real?
Checks come from the Tuna End Purchaser Settlement, administered by JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91442, Seattle, WA 98111. To verify one, call 866-615-0977 and press 8, or use the contact details on the official site — not a number printed on an unexpected email or text.
I moved. How do I get my check?
Send the administrator your full name, claim number, and current and former addresses to request a reissue. You cannot switch from a mailed check to PayPal; if your PayPal email changed, you can ask for a mailed check.
I bought tuna for my store or restaurant. Is this my settlement?
Only if you bought at retail for your own use. Businesses that bought directly from the canners were in the separate direct purchaser case, which paid eligible claimants on March 17, 2026. For other open food and consumer cases, see open class action settlements and the chicken price-fixing settlement.
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.