The Film Forum ticket fee settlement is a $413,233.50 class action resolution that paid $4.16 to each eligible customer who filed a valid claim over an allegedly undisclosed $1.50 online handling fee. A New York court granted final approval in December 2025, and the deadline to submit a claim, opt out, or object was December 10, 2025.1Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement. Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement
Who Was Covered
The settlement class included anyone in the United States who bought an electronic ticket from Film Forum’s website between August 29, 2022, and March 6, 2025, and paid a handling fee at checkout. Each class member who filed a valid claim received a flat $4.16 cash payment.2Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions
How Claims Worked
Claims were filed through an online portal at kovacsfilmforum.claims-administrator.com using a Notice ID and Confirmation Code sent by email. Class members who didn’t receive a notice could call the settlement administrator, Analytics Consulting LLC, at 1-844-467-2145 to verify eligibility and get login credentials.2Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions
The claim, opt-out, and objection deadline was December 10, 2025. If you missed it, no further payments are available from this settlement, and class members who did not opt out released their right to sue Film Forum over the same handling-fee claims.1Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement. Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement
What the Lawsuit Alleged
The case, Kovacs v. Film Forum, Inc. (Index No. 650686/2024), was filed in the Supreme Court of New York by Natalie Kovacs. She alleged Film Forum added a $1.50 “handling fee” to online ticket purchases without showing it when customers selected a ticket, so buyers only saw the charge once they reached checkout.3ClassAction.org. $413K+ Film Forum Settlement Ends Class Action Over Ticket Handling Fee
The complaint invoked New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 25.07(4), amended in mid-2022, which requires ticket sellers to display the total cost, including all ancillary fees, before a buyer selects a ticket, and bars the price from increasing during checkout.4New York State Senate. ACA Section 25.07 Film Forum denied wrongdoing and settled to avoid the cost and uncertainty of continued litigation.1Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement. Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement
Other Terms of the Deal
Alongside the cash payments, the settlement included:
- A commitment by Film Forum to modify its online ticketing to clearly and conspicuously display handling fees before purchase, in line with ACAL § 25.07(4).3ClassAction.org. $413K+ Film Forum Settlement Ends Class Action Over Ticket Handling Fee
- Up to $100,000 in attorney fees and expenses for class counsel.2Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions
- A service award of up to $5,000 for named plaintiff Natalie Kovacs.2Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions
Film Forum’s ticket information page now lists the $1.50 service charge.5Film Forum. Ticket Information
Approval Timeline
The parties signed the settlement on May 2, 2025. The court granted preliminary approval on August 1, 2025. Plaintiffs filed their motion for final approval on November 10, 2025, and the court issued its Final Approval Order in December 2025 after a fairness hearing on December 16.6Film Forum Ticket Fee Settlement. Important Case Documents The settlement is final.
Related Ticket Fee Settlements
If you bought tickets online from other venues, this isn’t the only case of its kind. Since New York’s amended ticket-pricing law took effect in August 2022, at least 25 lawsuits were filed in New York state and federal courts by early 2024 against businesses including Regal Cinemas, Fandango, Legoland New York, the Museum of Ice Cream, the Empire State Building, and the Bronx Zoo. The fees at issue typically run $2 to $5 per ticket.7Truth in Advertising. CATrends: Junk Fees Added to Ticket Prices
Several have already resolved. Jones v. Regal Cinemas, Inc. received final approval in March 2025, with average payouts of $113.77 per class member.8Regal Ticket Fee Settlement. Regal Ticket Fee Settlement A case against Alamo Drafthouse created a $7,075,000 non-reversionary fund.9Alamo Ticket Fees Settlement. Alamo Theaters Motion for Final Approval A $9.4 million Fandango Media settlement was finalized in 2026.10ClassAction.org. Fandango Media, LLC Film Forum’s smaller fund reflects its scale as a single four-screen nonprofit cinema compared with national ticketing platforms.
Federal Rule on Hidden Fees
Separately, the Federal Trade Commission’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees took effect on May 12, 2025. It targets bait-and-switch pricing in live-event ticketing and short-term lodging and requires businesses to disclose total prices, including mandatory fees, up front. The rule doesn’t cap fees, but it requires clear and conspicuous disclosure throughout the purchase process.11Federal Trade Commission. FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees Take Effect The New York statute, enforceable since August 2022 and carrying statutory damages of $50 per violation, is what powered this wave of state-court class actions before the federal rule arrived.