in Newswire Published on October 28, 2024

$3.5 Million Home Again Settlement Preliminarily Approved by Court, Resolving Microchip Membership Lawsuit

Goodman v. Intervet, Inc.

Filed: May 19, 2022 ◆§ 2:22-cv-02926

A class action alleges Merck subsidiary Home Again has deceived consumers into thinking they must buy an annual membership after their pets receive the company’s location-tracking microchips.

Defendant(s)

Intervet, Inc. Merck Animal Health Home Again

Law(s)

New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act

State(s)

New Jersey

Categories

False Advertising Fraud Pets

A magistrate judge has granted preliminary approval to a $3.5 million Home Again settlement, resolving a 2022 class action lawsuit that alleged the company deceived consumers into believing they needed to buy an annual membership for their pets’ location-tracking microchips.

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The Home Again settlement received preliminary approval from United States Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor on September 12, 2024, and the official settlement website can be found at HAMembershipSettlement.com.

The deal will provide a one-time cash payout of $20 to eligible Home Again settlement class members who file a timely, valid claim. The class action settlement also requires the company to revise all marketing materials to include disclosures regarding Home Again’s storage of pets’ recovery information should a customer opt not to renew their membership, court documents state.

The $3.5 million Home Again settlement covers residents of all 50 states and the District of Columbia who bought a HomeAgain premium service membership during certain timeframes. The covered timeframe for each state is listed at the bottom of this page.

To file a Home Again claim form online, head to this page and enter the Notice ID and Confirmation Code exactly as it appears on your personalized settlement notice. Class members can also download a PDF Home Again claim form to submit by mail.

Home Again settlement claim forms must be filed online or by mail by January 27, 2025.

Home Again payouts to class members who fit the above criteria may increase or decrease on a pro-rata basis depending on the total number of valid claims that are filed, court documents relay.

For the settlement, Home Again has agreed to revise marketing materials for its premium or membership service to inform consumers that if they choose to not renew their membership, their pet’s recovery information will remain in the HomeAgain Recovery Database and they can still maintain and update their profile.

Home Again has also agreed to post such a disclosure once a month on its social media accounts, settlement documents share.

A final approval hearing for the Home Again settlement is scheduled for February 10, 2025. It is typically some time after the court grants final approval to a class action settlement, and any appeals are resolved, that benefits begin to be distributed to class members.

The initial class action against Home Again accused the Merck subsidiary of deceiving consumers into believing they needed to purchase an annual membership once their pet received the company’s location-tracking microchip in order for their contact details to be maintained in the Home Again database.

Home Again did not apprise consumers of the fact that it maintained their contact information “for free, forever,” regardless of whether they bought an annual membership, the filing claimed, alleging the defendants profited from “keeping that secret.”

Below are the timeframes covered by the Home Again settlement for each state:

· Alabama: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· Alaska: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Arizona: May 19, 2021 to September 12, 2024;

· Arkansas: May 19, 2017 to September 12, 2024;

· California: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Colorado: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Connecticut: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Delaware: May 19, 2017 to September 12, 2024;

· District of Columbia: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Florida: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· Georgia: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Hawaii: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· Idaho: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Illinois: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Indiana: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Iowa: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Kansas: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Kentucky: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Louisiana: May 19, 2021 to September 12, 2024;

· Maine: May 19, 2016 to September 12, 2024;

· Maryland: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Massachusetts: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· Michigan: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Minnesota: May 19, 2016 to September 12, 2024;

· Mississippi: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Missouri: May 19, 2017 to September 12, 2024;

· Montana: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Nebraska: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· Nevada: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· New Hampshire: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· New Jersey: May 19, 2016 to September 12, 2024;

· New Mexico: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· New York: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· North Carolina: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· North Dakota: May 19, 2016 to September 12, 2024;

· Ohio: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Oklahoma: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· Oregon: May 19, 2021 to September 12, 2024;

· Pennsylvania: May 19, 2016 to September 12, 2024;

· Rhode Island: May 19, 2012 to September 12, 2024;

· South Carolina: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024;

· South Dakota: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· Tennessee: May 19, 2017 to September 12, 2024;

· Texas: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Utah: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Vermont: May 19, 2016 to September 12, 2024;

· Virginia: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Washington: May 19, 2018 to September 12, 2024;

· West Virginia: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024;

· Wisconsin: May 19, 2019 to September 12, 2024; and

· Wyoming: May 19, 2020 to September 12, 2024.

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