Settlement fund of $7 million established; Eligible Class Members may receive $0.75 to $1.75 per Product, to as much as $3.75 to $8.75 per Product.
PHILADELPHIA, — Gutride Safier LLP and Tycko & Zavareei LLP today announced that a proposed class action settlement has been reached involving purchasers of Bertolli Olive Oil (the “Products”). You are affected by this class action settlement if, between: (i) May 23, 2010 and April 16, 2018, you purchased, in the United States, a bottle of Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil and/or (ii) May 23, 2010 and December 30, 2015, you purchased, in the United States, a bottle of Bertolli Classico or Extra Light Olive Oil. A complete list of covered products is included on the website www.oliveoilsettlement.com (the “Products”).
The court has not determined whether any of the claims included in the settlement have merit, and the settlement is not an admission by Deoleo, the manufacturer of Bertolli olive oil of any wrongdoing.
WHAT DOES THE SETTLEMENT PROVIDE?
To settle the case, Defendant will create a settlement fund of $7,000,000.00. If you make a valid claim in the settlement, you will receive a cash payment for each bottle of olive oil that you purchased. The amounts paid to for each purchase will vary depending on the Product type, date of purchase, and number of claims received. The amounts to be paid are expected to be at least $0.75 to $1.75 per Product and may be as much as $3.75 to $8.75 per Product. You may make a claim without proof of purchase, but only for up to five products purchased by your household, for which you will receive a maximum combined recovery of $25.00. There is no limit on the number of items you can claim for which you submit proof of purchase. Proof of purchase means itemized retail sales receipts showing, at a minimum, the name of the product, and the date, place, and amount of purchase.
HOW TO GET THE REFUND
To get your refund, visit the settlement website at www.oliveoilsettlement.com and download or complete a claim form. You can also obtain a claim form by contacting the Claim Administrator.
HOW TO OPT OUT OF THE SETTLEMENT
The settlement will release all claims related to Plaintiffs’ contentions that Defendant’s marketing, advertising, and sale of Bertolli brand olive oil with the representations “Imported from Italy” and “Extra Virgin” were false or misleading. If you wish to preserve your right to bring a separate lawsuit on these claims, you must exclude yourself from the class.
OBJECTING TO THE SETTLEMENT
You can also object to the settlement. For details on how to exclude yourself or object, please visit www.oliveoilsettlement.com or contact the Claim Administrator.
COURT HEARING AND ATTORNEYS’ FEES
The Court will hold a hearing on August 9, 2018 to consider whether to approve the settlement. The attorneys for the class will ask the court to award them up to $2,100,000.00 in fees and approximately $150,000.00 in out of pocket expenses and up to $11,000.00 in incentives to the individuals who pursued the suit, out of the settlement fund. If any balance remains in the settlement fund after payment of claims, costs of settlement notice and administration, and court-awarded fees, costs and incentives, the attorneys will ask the Court to give the remaining balance to various charitable organizations as further described at www.oliveoilsettlement.com. Note that the hearing date may change without further notice to you. Consult the settlement website at www.oliveoilsettlement.com or PACER, at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov, for updated information on the hearing date and time.
The case is Koller v. Deoleo USA, Inc., et al., United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Case No. 3:14-cv-02400-RS.
For further information, please visit the settlement website: www.oliveoilsettlement.com. You may contact the Claim Administrator toll-free by phone at 1-855-732-9315 or by writing to Koller v. Deoleo Settlement, Claim Administrator, 1801 Market Street, Suite 660, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
You may also contact class counsel at Gutride Safier LLP, 100 Pine Street, Suite 1250, San Francisco, CA 94111, access the Court docket on PACER available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov, or visit the office of the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 450 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA from 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays.