There is no sign-up form for the Bank of America EDD class action. If you’re a California resident who received unemployment or disability benefits on a Bank of America prepaid debit card during the pandemic, reported an unauthorized ATM transaction, and got the official class notice from the administrator Simpluris, you were automatically included as a class member once the December 2, 2025 opt-out deadline passed. Roughly 109,000 people fall into that group. No claim form, no application, no deadline to meet on your end right now.1https://bofacalunemploymentbenefitsclassaction.com
Why There’s Nothing to Fill Out
The case has not settled and has not gone to trial. Until one of those things happens, there is no money to distribute and no claim process to open. The official class action website tells members they “may be bound by… any settlement that may be entered into on behalf of the classes” in the future. If the plaintiffs win or a settlement is approved down the line, the court and the class administrator will contact class members with instructions on how to collect.
The window to exclude yourself closed on December 2, 2025. Anyone who missed that date is now bound by whatever outcome the court eventually produces, good or bad.
Who Is Already a Class Member
On June 16, 2025, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel certified five classes in a 98-page order. Each targets a different piece of the bank’s alleged conduct, and a single cardholder can belong to more than one:
- Claim Denial — cardholders whose unauthorized-ATM-transaction claims were denied between September 28, 2020 and June 8, 2021.
- Credit Rescission — cardholders who received provisional or permanent credits for disputed transactions and then had those credits reversed by the bank.
- Account Freeze — cardholders whose accounts the bank froze between September 28, 2020 and March 17, 2021.
- Customer Service — cardholders affected during the period when the bank’s call centers were understaffed.
- EMV Chip — members of the claim denial or credit rescission classes whose cards did not have an EMV security chip before June 9, 2021.
If your experience matches one of these descriptions and you received a notice, you’re in. If you didn’t receive a notice but think you should have, the class administrator is the right place to ask.
How to Reach the Class Administrator
Simpluris, the court-appointed administrator, handles member questions, address updates, and confirmations of class membership. You can reach the administrator by phone at 844-496-1130, and the official case website is bofacalunemploymentbenefitsclassaction.com.1https://bofacalunemploymentbenefitsclassaction.com Keep your contact information current with the administrator so any future settlement or judgment notices reach you.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The consolidated litigation, In re Bank of America California Unemployment Benefits Litigation, Case No. 3:21-md-02992, is pending in the Southern District of California. The core allegation is that starting in September 2020, Bank of America ran fraud disputes through an automated system called the “Claim Fraud Filter” that denied claims, clawed back credits, and froze accounts without individual investigation. The plaintiffs also allege the bank knowingly understaffed its customer service call center between September and November 2020, and that it failed to add EMV security chips to the debit cards until June 2021, leaving them vulnerable to counterfeit fraud.
The legal claims include the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act, the California Unfair Competition Law, and constitutional due process protections. Plaintiffs are seeking statutory, treble, and punitive damages. Co-lead counsel are Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy and Altshuler Berzon LLP, with Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield as liaison counsel.
An earlier ruling gave the plaintiffs an early foothold. On June 2, 2021, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria issued a preliminary injunction ordering the bank to stop using the Claim Fraud Filter, reopen denied claims, reimburse improperly denied ones, and improve call center operations. The judge found plaintiffs had “demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on their claims.”
What Happens Next in the Case
On June 8, 2026, Bank of America filed a motion to decertify the five classes, arguing that “new evidence of ongoing benefits fraud” makes class-wide trial impossible. Judge Curiel set the plaintiffs’ opposition for July 2, 2026, the bank’s reply for July 17, and a hearing for August 28, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. A separate partial summary judgment motion filed by the bank in October 2025 is also still pending. No trial date has been set.
If the classes are decertified, individual claimants would have to bring their own cases. If certification holds, the litigation continues toward trial or settlement, and class members would be notified of any resolution.
Don’t Confuse This With Other Bank of America EDD Matters
A few related proceedings are easy to mix up with this class action, and none of them offer a separate sign-up either.
The CFPB and OCC penalties. On July 14, 2022, Bank of America entered consent orders with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, paying $100 million to the CFPB and $125 million to the OCC. The consent orders required the bank to provide redress to affected consumers for improperly denied claims and frozen accounts. That redress process is run by the bank under regulatory supervision, not by the class administrator, and it is separate from any recovery in the class action.
The Moland case. A separate suit filed in April 2025 in the Eastern District of California alleged the bank kept interest and investment income earned on cardholder funds. That case was voluntarily dismissed on July 9, 2025. It is not part of this class action.
The Center for Workers’ Rights settlement. Center for Workers’ Rights v. California Employment Development Department, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, was brought against the state agency, not the bank, and resulted in operational changes at EDD rather than monetary payouts. Different defendant, different court, different claims.
For the Bank of America class action itself, the practical takeaway is short: if you were eligible and got the notice, you’re already a class member, and the next move is the court’s, not yours.