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Costco customers in Washington could also be eligible to obtain a money payout after the retailer agreed to settle a category motion lawsuit accusing the retailer of sending deceptive promotional emails promoting limited-time presents.
The lawsuit alleges Costco violated Washington’s Industrial Digital Mail Act (CEMA), which regulates industrial electronic mail advertising.
Underneath CEMA, recipients could get better as much as $500 per qualifying electronic mail. Nonetheless, the precise payout from the settlement is presently unknown and can rely upon the variety of legitimate claims submitted.
Whereas denying any wrongdoing, Costco agreed to pay $14 million to settle the lawsuit, Aaland v. Costco Wholesale Corp.
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Folks arrive and depart at a Costco Wholesale retailer on June 13, 2026, in Bayonne, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
Washington residents whose electronic mail addresses are in Costco’s information and who obtained the promotional emails between June 2021 and July 2026 could also be eligible to file a declare.
To obtain a share of the settlement, eligible class members should submit a declare type by Aug. 24, 2026.
In accordance with the lawsuit, Costco allegedly violated state regulation by sending industrial emails with misleading topic strains that created a false sense of urgency by promoting limited-time presents that plaintiffs allege the retailer supposed to increase past the marketed promotional interval.
Examples of the topic strains cited within the lawsuit embrace “At present is the final day to entry Member-Solely Financial savings” and “Sizzling Buys obtainable for five Days Solely.”

Clients look over meals objects at a Costco retailer in Colchester, Vermont, in August 2024. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
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The online proceeds of the $14 million settlement shall be distributed equally amongst class members who submit legitimate claims after court-approved attorneys’ charges, litigation prices and repair awards are deducted. The precise payout per individual stays unknown as a result of it would rely upon the overall variety of permitted claims.
Every class member could submit solely one declare type, no matter what number of qualifying promotional emails they obtained from Costco.
| Ticker | Safety | Final | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP. | 966.58 | +15.00 | +1.58% |
People may select to choose out of the settlement to protect their proper to sue individually or object to its phrases by Aug. 24.
Those that take no motion will obtain no compensation and shall be barred from pursuing future authorized claims associated to the allegations coated by the settlement.
The courtroom will determine whether or not to grant last approval to the settlement on Oct. 2, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. PT in Seattle.

Buyer handing receipt to door checker worker on the exit, Costco megastore, Queens, New York. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Common Photos Group by way of Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
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Funds could also be issued by paper test, Venmo, PayPal or different digital fee strategies.

