Costco members don’t miss it! Once you receive "this letter", you will be able to receive the settlement money. See the applicable objects at once.

In response to a class action lawsuit in the United States, Costco chose to settle. (Bloomberg)

[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] Costco is definitely going to lose money! Costco must pay more than US$14 million (approximately NT$445 million) to settle a class-action lawsuit in the state of Washington, USA. The case accused Costco of sending promotional emails over the years that used themes that may mislead consumers. The judge in the case approved the settlement agreement last week. In addition to the US$14 million, Costco must also pay more than US$4.6 million (approximately NT$146 million) in legal fees to the lawyers representing the class action lawsuit, and to Michael Arland, the representative of the class action lawsuit. Aaland) paid US$2,500 (approximately NT$79,600). Any remaining funds will be donated to the Legal Foundation of Washington, a Seattle-based nonprofit.

This class action lawsuit was originally filed in June 2025. The lawsuit accused Costco of using misleading titles in some member promotion emails sent between June 2, 2021 and July 7, 2026, such as: "Today is the last day to get member-exclusive offers", "Popular offers are only available for 5 days," etc. The plaintiff alleged that these emails created a sense of urgency that "the offers are about to end", but Costco actually knew that some promotions would be extended later, so it allegedly caused consumers to misjudge.

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According to Washington State's Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA), no company may include false or misleading information in the subject line when sending commercial emails.

In response to this lawsuit, Costco finally agreed to settle. The settlement agreement applies to all Washington state residents who have received Costco-related emails between June 2, 2021 and July 7, 2026. The deadline to fill out the application form is August 24. According to court documents, as of August 24, a total of 313,275 claim forms were found to be valid, but 5 class action members raised objections.

King County Superior Court Judge Janet Helson formally approved the settlement last week.

Lawyers representing the main plaintiffs in the case did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday (7th). Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment but has denied any wrongdoing.

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