The Oregonian | By Kristine de Leon | May 14, 2024
Thousands of Portland WinCo Foods shoppers may be in line for $200 apiece as part of a class-action settlement over allegations that the grocer improperly passed the city’s clean energy tax on to customers.
The deadline to file a claim is July 9 but the wait for payment may be much longer.
In January, WinCo agreed to pay $3.6 million to customers to settle a class-action suit that alleged the grocery chain did not properly notify Portland customers of the true costs of goods it sold when it added a 1% surcharge tied to the Clean Energy Fund the city’s voters approved in November 2018.
The grocer has denied that it hid the surcharges from consumers, arguing that it disclosed the itemized charges on receipts. But it agreed to a settlement anyway.
Anyone who paid the extra charge on non-grocery items — such as non-edible goods, as well as beer and wine — between June 1, 2019 and May 8, 2022 can file a claim, according to the settlement. Claims for payment must be filed by July 9 either online through the settlement website, oregonclassactionsettlement.com, or by emailing WinCoSurchargeSettlement@cptgroup.com.
Michael Fuller, a Portland attorney representing the class, said customers will need to identify under oath what type of non-grocery items they purchased at which of the three WinCo stores within Portland’s city limits. He said the court has appointed CPT Group Inc., a class-action settlement administrator, to review and pay all valid and timely claims.
As part of the claims validation process, Fuller said CPT Group may ask customers to provide a local address and other verification information, such as debit card statements or paper receipts, if available. He added that since the claims verification process can be lengthy, consumers may not see any money for months.
The payout from WinCo follows Safeway’s $8.75 million settlement last year to resolve a similar lawsuit. Claimants in the Safeway case were also eligible to receive up to $200.
