Sorry Charlie! Tuna Company Must Refund Customers

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You probably wouldn’t notice if your 5 ounce can of tuna was a few tenths of an ounce light on tuna and heavy on water (or oil). But Patrick Hendricks did, and it resulted in a class-action lawsuit against StarKist.

Hendricks accused StarKist of intentionally underfilling its 5 ounce cans of tuna. According to Top Class Actions, federal law requires that 5 ounce cans contain 2.84 to 3.23 ounces of tuna. But Hendricks maintains that StarKist cheated consumers by putting 2.81 to 3.11 ounces of tuna in its cans.

Although StarKist has denied any wrongdoing, the company did agree to pay $8 million in cash and $4 million in tuna vouchers to consumers to settle the Hendricks v. StarKist Co. lawsuit.

If you purchased a 5-ounce can of StarKist chunk light tuna or solid white tuna in water (or oil) between 2009 and 2014, you could be owed a refund, and you get to choose between $25 in cash or $50 in tuna.

Some StarKist tuna eaters will receive notices of the settlement. If you don’t receive a notice, you can file a claim yourself.

You don’t need a receipt to file a claim, but you do need to confirm “under the penalty of perjury” that you purchased StarKist Tuna during the five-year time frame covered by the lawsuit.

If you want to file a claim for cash or a tuna voucher, click here. Claims need to be filed by Nov. 20, 2015.

I don’t know about you, but I’m craving a tuna fish sandwich now.

Are you a StarKist tuna eater? Do you plan on filing a claim? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.

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