Class Period

The class period is the date range written into a class definition. It sets when your purchase, account, call, data exposure, or other qualifying event must have happened for you to be a class member. A settlement might cover, for example, "all persons in the United States who purchased the product between January 1, 2019, and March 31, 2024." If your purchase fell outside those dates, you are not in the class, even if everything else matches.

Class periods are driven by the facts and the law. The start date often reflects when the challenged conduct began, and it is limited by the statute of limitations for the claims, which can differ by state. The end date is often when the company changed its label or practice, or the date the settlement was reached or preliminarily approved. In a settlement, the class period in the court-approved notice controls, and it can differ from the dates alleged in the original complaint.

The class period is different from the claim deadline. The class period covers when the qualifying event happened, often years ago. The claim deadline is when you must file to get paid, usually a few months after notice goes out. Missing either one generally means no payment.

When you check whether you qualify, match three things against the notice: the product or conduct, the geography (nationwide or certain states), and the class period. If you are unsure about dates, bank or card statements and online order histories can help. See how to tell if you qualify for a settlement, open versus closed settlements, and the statute of limitations entry.