Mueller Class Action Settlement: Payouts, Claims, and Taxes

The Mueller class action settlement resolved false advertising claims against Aterian, Inc. over Mueller-branded household products marketed with Austrian imagery. The case is closed. The claim filing deadline passed on January 30, 2024, and the settlement administrator distributed payments on August 26, 2024. If you filed a valid claim and never received your money, contact the administrator at 877-933-2881 or info@MuellerSettlement.com.¹

If You Filed a Claim and Haven’t Been Paid

Payments went out on August 26, 2024. Cash was sent digitally through the settlement’s payment partner, Tremendous, or by mail through USPS, depending on what you selected on your claim form. Vouchers were emailed to the address you provided.¹

Start by checking your spam and promotions folders for messages from the settlement administrator or from Tremendous. If you asked for a mailed check, confirm the address on your claim was correct and current. If nothing turns up, reach out directly:

Phone: 877-933-2881
Email: info@MuellerSettlement.com
Mail: Aterian Class Action Settlement Administrator, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173096, Milwaukee, WI 53217²

If a check reached you but is still sitting uncashed, deposit it soon. Settlement checks expire, and uncashed funds are eventually turned over to the state as unclaimed property. That handoff generally happens somewhere between three and five years out, depending on the state.

The claim window is closed. No late claims are being accepted, and there is no reopened filing period.

Who Qualified and How Much They Received

The class included anyone in the United States, its territories, or a U.S. military facility or exchange who bought a covered Mueller-branded product between December 9, 2018, and August 23, 2023. Purchases made as gifts counted, and the buyer, not the recipient, was the class member.¹

Aterian funded an $800,000 non-reversionary settlement, split into a $500,000 cash pool and a $300,000 voucher pool. Claimants picked one option:³

Cash: $7.50 per covered product, capped at two products, so up to $15.00
Voucher: $15.00 per covered product toward a future Mueller purchase, capped at two products, so up to $30.00

Both were subject to pro rata adjustment based on how many valid claims came in. Vouchers were transferable, could be combined, and had no expiration date.⁴

No receipts were required at filing. Claimants signed a certification under penalty of perjury that they had bought a covered product. The administrator could still ask for documentation during review, and a claimant who couldn’t produce it if asked risked denial.⁵

Covered Products

The list ran to more than 100 items and stretched well beyond kitchen gear. It included coffee makers, grinders, and French presses; choppers, juicers, mandolines, and blenders; kettles, pressure cookers, indoor grills, waffle makers, induction cooktops, cast iron skillets, and HealthyStone fry pans; knife sets, airtight food storage containers, vacuum sealers, and salad spinners; and non-kitchen items like a steam iron, electric toothbrush, corded hair clipper kit, expandable garden hose, anti-fatigue mats, basketball arcade, and lunch bags. The full inventory is posted in the settlement agreement at muellersettlement.com.⁴

What the Case Was About

The lawsuit, Stacy Dorcas v. Aterian, Inc., accused Aterian of misleading shoppers about where its Mueller-branded products were made. The complaint alleged that Aterian used images of the Austrian flag and the word “Austria” on packaging and advertising, leading consumers to believe the products were manufactured in Austria when they were not. Buyers said they paid more than they otherwise would have because of those representations.¹

The claims included violations of California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act, False Advertising Law, and Unfair Competition Law, along with breach of express and implied warranty, fraud, negligent and intentional misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment. Aterian denied any wrongdoing and settled to end the litigation.³

The court held the final approval hearing on March 7, 2024, and approved the settlement that same day as fair, reasonable, and adequate.⁶

What Class Members Gave Up

Anyone in the class who did not opt out by January 30, 2024, released the right to sue Aterian separately over the same false advertising allegations. That release applied whether or not you actually filed a claim. If you did nothing and stayed in by default, you still lost the ability to bring your own lawsuit tied to the Austrian origin representations.³

The release covered federal and state claims arising from the lawsuit’s allegations. It did not extend to unrelated claims against Aterian, such as product defects or warranty problems outside the false advertising scope.

Taxes on the Payment

At $7.50 to $15 per claimant, the cash amounts are far below any level that triggers tax reporting. Consumer fraud settlement payments that effectively refund part of a purchase price are generally treated as a reduction in the price you paid rather than new taxable income. The IRS reporting threshold for settlement payments on Form 1099-MISC rises to $2,000 starting January 1, 2026, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which puts these payouts well outside reporting territory.⁷

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Mueller Settlement. Stacy Dorcas v. Aterian, Inc. Mueller Settlement
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Mueller Settlement. Contact
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Mueller Settlement. Mueller Class Action Settlement – Long Form Notice
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Mueller Settlement. Mueller Settlement Agreement With Exhibits
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Mueller Settlement. Mueller Settlement Claim Form
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Mueller Settlement. Order Granting Motion for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement and Request for Fees and Entering Final Judgment
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Kroll. IRS Reporting Threshold Rises to $2,000: What It Means for Your Settlement