Roundup: July 11, 2023
Cash from class actions
On Friday, a whole bunch of us here in the Land of Lincoln received a sweet message: “Rivera et al. v. Google LLC Class Action Settlement has sent you $95.38 USD”. It was a settlement in a class action lawsuit that charged Google with taking biometric information from Illinois residents who had images in Google Photos from May 1, 2015 to April 25, 2022.
Class action suits are complicated. On the one hand, they are a way to force companies to follow the rules and share the penalties among the large number of people affected. On the other hand, they lead to nuisance suits by lawyers looking for a way to make a lot of money. The lawyers make the most money, which is fair because they do most of the work but also unfair because they were not the victims of the violation in question. All of that should be debated, but I’m not going to do it here.
Instead, I’m going to give you some advice on how to participate. First, do a periodic search of your promotions email or of the address you use for online shopping. You can also check these web sites for information.
Then, you’ll be sent to the form on the administrator’s site. You may need to submit proof that you were affected, too. (The larger the payout, the more work you will be expected to do.) You’ll be asked to submit your preferred payment method, attest to the truth of your statements, and then complete a Captcha or two to verify that you are human.
In most cases, your settlement will be small. The $95.38 payment was very much on the large side; I received a $5 off coupon to settle a misleading price suit filed against Old Navy. It was not life changing, but I happily took and used the coupon. If you’re bored and have patience with Captchas, go for it!
Other things this week:
Things to Watch
Me on TV: My recent appearance on The Chicago Money Show. Public Access is alive and well! (YouTube)
Things to Read
The power of being uncooperative: Some interesting research on gaining power against bullies by refusing the play along. (Dartmouth University)
Caregiving challenges: Substance abuse among the elderly is way up! The elders in your life need hobbies. (The New York Times)
Things to Make
Better lemonade: Use coconut water. Very good with a little orange juice, too. (Dawn Jackson Blatner)
That cash was a pleasant surprise in my Zelle! In 5-10 years we’ll get something from Threads.
Even if the coconut water lemonade falls a bit short with the sweetness, try it that way. Reducing our need for sweet, especially when tart is involved, will be helpful in the long run.