Final Approval Granted In StarKist Tuna Case

On September 29, 2016, Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California granted final approval of a $12 million class settlement in Hendricks v. StarKist Co. The lawsuit alleged that StarKist had underfilled certain 5-ounce cans of StarKist tuna.

The settlement resulted in the nationwide submission of more than 2.4 million claims, the largest number of claims ever submitted in a class action. In his order approving the settlement, Judge Gilliam recognized that Bursor & Fisher achieved a “favorable settlement” despite “substantial risks of litigation, and the financial burden assumed.”

“This is a tremendous settlement for purchasers of StarKist tuna,” said Scott A. Bursor, one of the firm’s partners handling the matter. “More than 2.4 million purchasers of StarKist tuna will receive a cash recovery that will compensate them for more than the full amount of their alleged damages.”