Consumer

Costco Washington Commercial Email Settlement

Costco Wholesale Corporation

Costco is accused of sending Washington residents marketing emails with subject lines advertising time-limited promotions ("Today is the last day...", "Hot Buys available for 5 Days Only") that Costco allegedly knew it would extend past the stated deadline — a violation of Washington's Commercial Electronic Mail Act and Consumer Protection Act. Costco denies wrongdoing. It agreed to a $14,000,000 non-admission settlement, preliminarily approved, with a Final Approval Hearing set for October 2, 2026.

Total fund
$14M
Estimated payout
Settlement payments are equally distributed among all Settlement Class Members who submit timely, valid Claim Forms, after deducting settlement costs, attorneys' fees and any Service Award — no fixed per-person amount is stated. Verbatim from the court-authorized Notice, Q12: "The Settlement payments will be equally distributed to all Settlement Class Members who submit timely and valid Claim Forms, after the deduction of settlement costs, attorneys' fees and expenses awarded by the Court, and any Service Award granted to the Class Representative." Payable via check, Venmo, or PayPal (claimant's choice).
Deadline
Aug 24, 2026
Administrator
Settlement Administrator
Proof required
No

Who may qualify

Verbatim class definition from the court-authorized Notice, Q6: you qualify if you (1) received a commercial electronic mail message transmitted from or on behalf of Costco between June 2, 2021 and July 7, 2026, (2) were a Washington resident at the time of receipt, and (3) received it at an email address appearing in Costco's own data. No purchase or membership required — this is about the emails themselves. Excluded: Costco, its controlling-interest entities, and its current/former directors, officers, counsel and their immediate families.

Underlying claim theory: Washington CEMA entitles a recipient to $500 per violating email or actual damages, which plaintiff argued was subject to trebling under the Consumer Protection Act (Notice Q2) — explains the size of the $14M fund relative to an "email annoyance" claim. Procedural history: filed 2025-06-02 as Zydel v. Costco; motion to dismiss denied 2025-10-10; Michael Aaland substituted as Class Representative 2026-04-15. Uncashed/undeliverable payments get either a second pro rata distribution to those who already cashed, or go to the Legal Foundation of Washington (Notice Q12) — so there is no unclaimed-funds revert to Costco.

How to claim

This claim is publicly available and free to file yourself directly with the settlement administrator. Read the official eligibility rules and deadline before filing - they are the source of truth. PendingMoney can find, fill, and track it for you, but you can always do it on your own.

View official requirements on washingtoncommercialemailsettlement.com

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Eligibility and payouts are not guaranteed and are decided by the settlement administrator, not PendingMoney. PendingMoney is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Available to U.S. residents only.

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