UPDATE (10/18/23)
The Parties and the Settlement Administrator determined a second pro rata distribution to Authorized Claimants was not economically feasible. As such, the remaining unclaimed Settlement funds were distributed pro rata to the Cy Pres Recipients approved by the Court, which are the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Consumer Reports. Both organizations are engaged in matters related to consumer and digital privacy and have a pertinent connection to this legal action, the objectives of the laws supporting the Plaintiffs' claims, and the interests of the Settlement Class. Each Cy Pres Recipient will provide reports detailing their use and future plans for the cy pres funds. These reports will be posted on the Settlement website once available.
UPDATE November 2022
Payments for timely valid claims began distributing on November 16, 2022. This process may take a week or more to complete. If you do not receive your mailed check or you did not receive or could not retrieve your digital payment, you may contact the Administrator by email at questions@plaidsettlement.com or by phone at 1-855-645-1115 for assistance. Please be patient while the Administrator works to respond to your request.
Notice of Class Action Settlement
In re Plaid Inc. Privacy Litigation
Important Information — Read Carefully.
This is a Court approved Legal Notice. This is not an advertisement.
Important Dates
March 4, 2022 — Requests for Exclusion From the Settlement Must Be Postmarked By This Date
March 4, 2022 — Objections to the Settlement Must Be Filed with the Court by this Date or Postmarked By This Date if Mailed
March 4, 2022 — Notice of Intent to Appear at the Fairness Hearing Must Be Postmarked By This Date
April 28, 2022 — Claim Forms Must Be Submitted Online By This Date or Postmarked By This Date if Mailed
May 12, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. PT — Fairness Hearing
A Settlement has been proposed in class action litigation against Plaid Inc. (“Plaid”). Approximately 5,000 mobile and web-based applications (“apps”) use Plaid to enable users to connect the app to the users' bank account(s). This class action alleges Plaid took certain improper actions in connection with this process. The allegations include that Plaid: (1) obtained more financial data than was needed by a user's app, and (2) obtained log-in credentials (username and password) through its user interface, known as “Plaid Link,” which had the look and feel of the user's own bank account login screen, when users were actually providing their login credentials directly to Plaid. Plaid denies these allegations and any wrongdoing and maintains that it adequately disclosed and maintained transparency about its practices to consumers.
You may be a Class Member if you are a United States resident and you connected a financial account to an app between January 1, 2013 and November 19, 2021. More specifically, you are a Class Member if you own or owned one or more “Financial Accounts” (defined in Question 7) that Plaid accessed using your login credentials and connected to a mobile or web-based app that enables payments or other money transfers; or for which you provided Financial Account login credentials to Plaid through Plaid Link; between January 1, 2013 and November 19, 2021.
To confirm whether specific apps or services that connected to your financial account(s) used Plaid for account connections, you can run a search on the SEARCH FOR APP/SERVICE page of this website by clicking here.
Under the Settlement, Plaid has agreed to minimize the data it stores going forward, to delete certain previously retrieved data, and to improve and maintain certain already-implemented enhancements to Plaid Link. Class Members are also able to view and manage the connections they've made between their financial accounts and chosen applications using Plaid, and delete data stored in Plaid's systems by creating a Plaid Portal account, at my.plaid.com.
In addition, the Settlement establishes a $58 million Settlement Fund, to be used for cash payments to Class Members who submit valid claims for compensation, after deducting the costs of the settlement administration, court-approved attorneys' fees and expenses, and Service Awards for eleven Class Representatives. The amount of monetary payments issued to Class Members will depend on the number of valid claims received. In exchange for the benefits the Settlement provides, Class Members will release any and all claims they may have (whether known or unknown) regarding the allegations in the Complaint.
The Court will decide whether to approve the proposed Settlement. If approved, the Settlement will resolve the litigation entitled In re Plaid Inc. Privacy Litigation, Case No. 4:20-md-03056, which is pending before Judge Donna M. Ryu in the Northern District of California.
The class action settlement approval process may take several months, or more if there is an appeal.
Please Read the Notice Carefully.
| YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT | ||
|---|---|---|
FILE A CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION |
You may file a Claim in order to receive a monetary payment from the Settlement Fund. Filing a Claim is the only way to receive a payment from this settlement. For detailed information about how to file a Claim, see FAQ 16. |
Deadline: April 28, 2022 |
EXCLUDE YOURSELF FROM THIS SETTLEMENT |
You can exclude yourself from the Settlement by informing the Settlement Administrator that you want to “opt-out” of the Settlement. If the Settlement becomes final, this is the only option that allows you to retain your rights to individually sue for claims relating to the allegations in the Complaint. You will not receive a payment from the Settlement if you exclude yourself. |
Deadline: March 4, 2022 |
OBJECT TO OR COMMENT ON THE SETTLEMENT |
You may object to the Settlement by writing to the Court about why you don't think the Settlement should be approved. You can also write the Court to provide comments or reasons why you support the Settlement. For detailed information about how to object to or comment on the Settlement, see FAQ 23. |
Deadline: March 4, 2022 |
GO TO THE FINAL APPROVAL HEARING |
You may, but are not required to, attend the Final Approval Hearing where the Court may hear arguments concerning the approval of the Settlement. If you wish to speak at the Final Approval Hearing, you must state your intention to do so in your written objection or comment. |
Deadline: May 12, 2022 |
DO NOTHING |
If you do nothing before the deadline to comment, object, or exclude yourself, and if the Settlement becomes final, you will be part of the Settlement Class and bound by the Settlement and give up your rights to sue for claims relating to any or all allegations in the Plaintiffs' complaint in this case. |
Deadline: N/A |