OLYMPIA, Wash. — Time is running out for 130,000 Washington families due money as part of a price-fixing settlement.
In December, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced his office would send millions of dollars to households as part of a price-fixing settlement involving tuna and chicken providers. Since then, more than two-thirds of the checks have been cashed.
"We had about 270,000 checks that have been cashed," Ferguson said, "And that totals approximately $27 million."
That leaves about 130,000 outstanding checks and approximately $13 million that have not been claimed.
"The good news is, from this money we've recovered from these large corporations that were engaged in price fixing on chicken and tuna... that money has been sent to thousands of Washingtonians and has been cashed," Ferguson said. "But we want to get as many Washingtonians as possible, the money that we're trying to get to them."
The checks mailed in December 2023 had 120 days before they expired. That means all the checks the Attorney General's office mailed out are no longer valid.
How to get a reissued check
There’s still a way for eligible people to get their money, but they will need to reach out and ask for a reissued check before the May 1 deadline.
To request a reissued check or check your eligibility, contact the Distribution Administrator by email at refundcheck@atg.wa.gov or call 866-601-1516.
"We have these dollars, we want to get them in the pockets of Washingtonians, but we need to hear from you by Wednesday, May 1, so we can reissue a check that you never actually deposited originally," Ferguson said.
Who is eligible for the checks?
The checks were sent to households with income at or below 175% of the federal poverty level. Single-person households received $50. Multi-person households received $120.
Examples of those who were sent checks include:
- A family of five with a household income of less than $61,495;
- A single parent raising three kids on an income of $52,500 or less;
- A single parent with two children making less than $43,505 per year;
- A single parent of one, or a retired couple living on two fixed incomes that total less than $34,510, or
- A retired individual who lives alone on a fixed income of less than $25,515 per year.
I am eligible but didn't get a check. What should I do?
If you think you are eligible for a check but never received one, you can request one from the Attorney General's office.
The office asks you to Submit a Claim or download and fill out a claim form and mail it in. You can also call 866-601-1516 if you have questions.
The deadline to submit a Claim for Payment is June 5, 2024.
More information is available on the Chicken and Tuna Price Fixing Settlements website.
What happens to unclaimed funds?
Millions of dollars are likely to go unclaimed as part of the rebate check program, so we asked Attorney General Bob Ferguson what will happen with those funds:
"In any sort of consumer protection case like this, or antitrust case that we bring on behalf of the people, the first priority is to get the money back in the pockets of Washingtonians," Ferguson said.
"But sometimes a situation like this arises where there's money that's left over because we couldn't locate people... So typically, that money either goes back to the state general fund for general purposes determined by the state legislature, or we reinvest that back into my team that brings these cases."
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