Costco shoppers may be eligible for large payout after multi-million dollar email settlement - Fox Business

What the report says

Fox Business reported that Costco has agreed to a $14 million class-action settlement involving claims that promotional emails sent to Washington shoppers violated the state’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act. The case, identified as Aaland v. Costco Wholesale Corp., accused the retailer of using email subject lines for limited-time deals that plaintiffs said were misleading. Costco denied wrongdoing while agreeing to settle.

According to the report, Washington residents may qualify if their email addresses appear in Costco’s records and they received the challenged promotional messages between June 2021 and July 2026. Examples cited in the lawsuit included subject lines suggesting offers were ending that day or were available for only a short period. Washington’s CEMA allows recipients to seek up to $500 per qualifying email, though the settlement will not pay that amount automatically.

Fox Business said valid claimants will share the net settlement fund after deductions for court-approved attorneys’ fees, litigation costs and service awards. The payment per person is not yet known because it depends on how many eligible people file approved claims. Each class member may submit only one claim form, regardless of the number of emails received.

The claim, opt-out and objection deadline is Aug. 24, 2026. People who do nothing will not receive payment and will give up the right to bring related claims covered by the settlement. A Seattle court is scheduled to consider final approval on Oct. 2, 2026, with payments potentially issued by check or electronic methods such as Venmo or PayPal.