Trader Joe's shoppers could see part of $7.4 million class action payout
Shoppers who used a debit or credit card to buy goods at Trader Joe's between March 5, 2019, and July 19, 2019, could receive part of a $7.4 million class action payout. Credit: Barry Sloan
Some Trader Joe’s customers may be eligible for part of a $7.4 million payout.
Shoppers who used a debit or credit card to buy goods at Trader Joe's between March 5, 2019 and July 19, 2019 could receive an estimated $102.45 each, depending on the number of people who file a claim, according to a settlement notice.
Trader Joe's agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company violated the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act by displaying too many credit and debit card numbers on customers receipts in 2019.
Trader Joe's has eight locations on Long Island, including outposts in Garden City, Oceanside and Plainview, and a store in Miller Place that opened in February.
Florida resident Brian Keim sued Trader Joe’s in 2019, claiming that after a shopping trip at a location in Palm Beach Gardens, his receipt showed the first six and last four digits of his debit card, exposing him to an “increased risk of identity theft,” according to the 2019 complaint.
Trader Joe’s denies the allegations and any wrongdoing, and not all Trader Joe’s stores printed receipts with additional credit card numbers, according to the settlement website. But the company decided to settle the case to avoid “protracted and expensive” litigation, according to the class action's "long form notice," which is posted on the site.
Nearly $2.5 million of the $7.4 million sum will go toward attorney fees. Keim will receive a $10,000 payment and the remainder will be split among those who file a claim.
Neither Keim nor his attorney immediately responded to requests for comment.
The lawsuit is not the first time Keim has filed a class action. In 2012, Keim sued multiple Pizza Hut franchisees for allegedly sending unsolicited promotional texts, resulting in another class action settlement, according to court records from 2020.
