Kraft Heinz Class Action Lawsuit: Your Step-by-Step Guide to the $62 Million Settlement
If you invested in Kraft Heinz stock and saw its value drop a few years ago, this article is for you. You may have heard about a major Kraft Heinz class action lawsuit. Maybe you even got a postcard or email about it.
Your first question is probably: “What is this all about, and do I qualify?”
This guide will answer that. We’ll break down the complex legal details into plain English. Our goal is to help you understand the Kraft Heinz settlement and how to file a claim if you are eligible.
Think of this as your helpful roadmap. We’ll walk you through everything, from checking your eligibility to submitting your claim form. Let’s get started.
The Short Story: What This Kraft Heinz Lawsuit Is About
Let’s rewind to 2019. You might remember headlines about Kraft Heinz. The company reported massive write-downs on the value of its iconic brands. Its stock price plummeted.
This wasn’t just a bad day on the market. Investors alleged the company had been misleading them. The Kraft Heinz investor lawsuit claimed the company:
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Inflated its stock price by overstating its financial health.
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Hid significant problems with its internal accounting controls.
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Made optimistic public statements that were not accurate.
In simple terms, the lawsuit claimed investors bought stock based on an incomplete picture. When the full truth came out, people lost money.
Kraft Heinz denies these allegations. They did not admit any wrongdoing. However, to resolve the securities litigation, they agreed to create a $62 million settlement fund for affected investors.
This is not about the recent Kraft Mac and Cheese lawsuit. That is a separate consumer lawsuit about product marketing. This settlement is specifically for investors who lost money.
Key Facts About the Settlement: A Quick Overview
Before we dive deeper, here are the absolute need-to-know details. This table gives you the core facts of the Kraft Heinz securities settlement at a glance.
What You Need to Know | The Details |
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Settlement Amount | $62 Million |
Who It’s For | Investors who purchased Kraft Heinz stock during the “Class Period” |
Class Period | July 2, 2015 – February 21, 2019 |
Claim Deadline | October 15, 2024 |
Settlement Website | Official Settlement Website |
Case Number | 1:19-cv-01339 |
The most important date is the claim deadline. You must submit your claim by this date to be eligible for a payment. Don’t miss it.
The official settlement website is your source for the original legal documents and the claim form itself. We highly recommend using it as your primary resource.
Do I Qualify? Understanding Eligibility for the Settlement
This is the biggest question for most people. The eligibility rules are specific.
You likely qualify to file a claim if you:
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Purchased or otherwise acquired Kraft Heinz stock.
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Made those purchases between July 2, 2015, and February 21, 2019.
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Held onto some of that stock through at least February 22, 2019, and suffered a loss.
It doesn’t matter if you still own the stock today. What matters is that you owned it during that specific time frame and experienced losses when the news broke.
This includes both large institutional investors and individual people like you. If you bought shares through a brokerage like Fidelity, Vanguard, or Charles Schwab during that period, you should look into this.
“What if I sold my stock before February 21, 2019?”
The rules are strict. If you sold all your shares before the end of the class period (February 21, 2019), you are probably not eligible. The lawsuit is designed to compensate those who were holding the stock when its value dropped based on the alleged misconduct.
If you’re unsure, the best thing to do is check your old brokerage statements or proceed to the next section to see what documents you’ll need to file. You can also visit the official settlement website for the precise legal definition of a “Class Member.”
This section has covered the “what” and the “who.” Next, we’ll get practical. We’ll outline exactly what documents you need to gather to make filing your claim as smooth as possible.