Forbes Media Tracker Settlement: Who Can Claim a Payment

Opting out means leaving the settlement. You would not receive a settlement payment, but you would keep the right to bring your own lawsuit against Forbes about the legal issues resolved here.

• You must send a written exclusion request by mail, postmarked no later than September 24, 2026.
• The request must say you want to be excluded from Berman, et al. v. Forbes Media, LLC, Case No. 3:24-cv-09287-WHO.
• Include your full name, address, telephone number, email address if you have one, and signature.
• Mail it to Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, ATTN: Request for Exclusion, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391.

You may object only if you stay in the settlement. An objection tells the Court what you disagree with, such as the payment arrangement, requested lawyers’ fees, representative awards, releases, or another part of the settlement. You may still submit a claim if you object.

• Put the case name and number on your written objection.
• Include your contact information, the reasons for your objection, supporting materials if any, any proposed witnesses, whether you plan to attend the hearing, and the listed signatures.
• File or mail the objection to the Clerk of the Court by September 24, 2026.

At this hearing, the Court is scheduled to consider whether to approve the settlement, lawyers’ fees and costs, and awards to the two people who brought the case. Approval is not yet final.

• The hearing is scheduled for December 2, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. PT.
• It is scheduled at the Phillip Burton Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, Courtroom 2, 17th Floor, San Francisco, California.
• You do not have to attend. If you made a proper written objection, the Court will consider it even if you do not appear.
• The hearing date or time may change.

These amounts are not guaranteed. Any amounts the Court awards come from the settlement fund, before the remaining money is divided among people with valid claims.

• The lawyers plan to ask for up to $2,500,000 in attorneys’ fees, which is 25% of the $10 million fund.
• They may also seek reimbursement of litigation expenses and costs.
• The two plaintiff class representatives may seek $2,500 each.
• The Court can award less than the requested amounts.

A claim is required to receive money. The notice does not give a payment estimate or a detailed description of what makes a claim valid; it only states the form and submission methods.

• The notice requires a valid, timely Proof of Claim form.
• You may submit the form online or mail it; mailed forms must be postmarked by November 9, 2026.
• The supplied notice does not list any supporting documents or other proof that must accompany the form.

This applies if you are a settlement class member and do not opt out. The notice says the full definition of the released claims and released parties is in the Settlement Agreement.

• You would not receive a payment.
• You would be bound by the settlement’s released claims.
• You would give up the right to start, continue, or join another lawsuit against Forbes and the other released parties over the legal issues resolved by this settlement.