Data Privacy and Toxic Chemicals This week’s newsletter focuses on two issues that have become increasingly prevalent in recent months – how companies handle our data and whether toxic chemicals are being used in everyday products. On the topic of data privacy, we find Starbucks and DaVita under scrutiny over the way they may be handling the online activity and personal information of those who visit their respective websites. Then, the Prime Hydration grape-flavored sports drink is under investigation for potentially containing PFAS – chemicals that have been linked to a slew of health issues and environmental concerns. Plus, attorneys working with ClassAction.org are still looking to hear from New York and Ohio residents who entered into listing agreements with MV Realty. Keep reading for the details on these investigations and the latest class action settlements that you may be able to claim. - Ty Armstrong, Writer/Community Manager |
| California, Pennsylvania and Florida residents who went to Starbucks.com and opted out of unrequired cookies may have had their privacy rights violated. Specifically, attorneys have reason to believe that Starbucks may be continuing to track users even if they changed their cookie settings to “required cookies” – that is, only those needed for the website to function – via the pop-up presented upon visiting the site. Now, the attorneys are gathering consumers to take action against the company via mass arbitration over these potential privacy violations. While there are no guarantees, it’s possible that consumers who sign up for the arbitration could be owed $500 or more. If you’re a California, Pennsylvania or Florida resident who declined all but required cookies when visiting Starbucks.com, you can read up on the mass arbitration process and get more information on how you could participate here. |
MV Realty: Is the Homeowner Benefit Program Legitimate? MV Realty’s Homeowner Benefit Program is an agreement in which the company pays a homeowner several hundred dollars to sign a contract stating that the consumer will use the company as their exclusive listing agent if they sell the property in the future. But the program has come under scrutiny from several state attorneys general who have accused MV Realty of obscuring the true terms of the contract, including that a lien would be filed against the property. Consumers have also complained that they didn’t realize the agreements would last 40 years and limit their ability to refinance. Now, it’s possible that a class action lawsuit could be filed on behalf of homeowners who entered the program while living in New York or Ohio. If filed and successful, a lawsuit could help homeowners get back money they may have been unlawfully charged. It could also potentially force MV Realty to remove the liens on homeowners’ properties and change how it does business in the future. If this sounds like something you have gone through, you can read more on this page. |
 Our settlements page is always being updated. Have you checked to see if you're covered by any open settlements? You can also check out the latest settlements as they happen by following us on Twitter. |
| Latest Settlements - Facebook User Privacy
If you were a Facebook user anytime between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, you may be entitled to money from a recent $725 million settlement. - Walmart Gift Card Fraud
If you purchased a Walmart gift card between April 1, 2016 and July 31, 2017 at the direction of a fraudster, you may be eligible for compensation. - Medical Review Institute Data Breach
You may be covered by this settlement if you received a data breach notice from Medical Review Institute of America about a security incident discovered on November 9, 2021. | | |
To view a complete list of settlements and to find out how you can file a claim, click here. |
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| | ~ In Other News ~ | Prime, which offers a line of energy drinks in addition to its Hydration sports drinks, has become a viral sensation – but there may be more to the drinks than the Youtubers who released the products would have you believe. Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are investigating whether the grape-flavored Prime Hydration sports drink contains toxic “forever” chemicals known as PFAS despite being advertised as “naturally flavored.” If so, it’s possible that a class action lawsuit could be filed. A lawsuit, if filed and successful, could help customers get back some of the money they spent on the sports drink. A lawsuit could also require Prime to discontinue using any PFAS found in the beverage or change how it markets the product. If you bought a grape-flavored Prime Hydration sports drink, you may be able to help the investigation. Read more here. |
| If you live in California, visited DaVita.com and have a Facebook account, it’s possible your privacy may have been violated. Specifically, attorneys are looking into whether the dialysis services provider broke state privacy laws by sharing patients’ personal and medical information with Facebook via tracking and analytics tools on DaVita.com. It’s believed that these tools may have been used to track users’ online activities, including their private communications on the website, and secretly pass along the data to Facebook without patients’ consent. If this is the case, a class action lawsuit could be filed against DaVita – but attorneys first need to hear from dialysis patients who used the website. A class action lawsuit could help compensate DaVita.com users for potential privacy violations and possibly force the company to change its data privacy practices. If you’re a DaVita dialysis patient from California who visited DaVita.com, head over to this page for the details. |
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