Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN, faces a series of class action lawsuits in U.S. federal courts accusing it of trapping customers in automatically renewing subscriptions through hidden terms and a difficult cancellation process. The NordVPN class action lawsuits over auto-renewal practices have been filed in California, North Carolina, New York, Illinois, Virginia, and Connecticut between 2024 and 2026. Two are now stayed pending settlement talks, one has a motion to dismiss awaiting a ruling, and the newest case seeks at least $100 million in damages.
What the Lawsuits Accuse NordVPN of Doing
Every complaint centers on the same theory: Nord Security uses “negative option” billing, treating a customer’s failure to cancel as consent to keep paying, without adequately disclosing the renewal terms in the first place.
Four specific practices show up across the filings.
Renewal disclosures, plaintiffs say, are buried in drop-down menus or displayed in grey text on a white background rather than shown clearly before purchase. The Illinois complaint alleges the auto-renewal toggle sits four layers deep in account settings, and other filings describe having to navigate “seemingly unrelated pages” to find it.1ClassAction.org. NordVPN Lawsuit Claims Consumers Tricked Into Auto-Renewing Subscriptions
NordVPN also charges customers 14 days before their subscription period ends, which the lawsuits call “highly unconventional.” The company sends renewal reminder emails 30 days in advance, but plaintiffs argue those emails fail to spell out that cancellation must happen at least 14 days before expiration to avoid being charged.
The gap between promotional and renewal pricing sharpens the complaints. Tom’s Guide has reported that NordVPN’s Basic plan renewal represents about a 288% increase over the two-year introductory price.2Tom’s Guide. VPN Renewal Prices Explained CNET has reported that a plan initially sold at $60 per year can renew at $140.3CNET. How To Save Money on a VPN Subscription Plan
Where Each Case Stands
California — Zeichner v. Nord Security Inc.
The first suit, filed in 2024 in the Northern District of California by Wittels McInturff Palikovic (Civil Action No. 24-2462), named an unusually broad set of defendants including Nordvpn S.A., Tefincom S.A., NordSec B.V., NordSec Ltd., Nord Security Inc., and several holding entities.4GovInfo. Zeichner v. Nord Security Inc. et al. In December 2024, the court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss in part and let other claims proceed.5PACER Monitor. Zeichner v. Nord Security Inc. et al. The case has since been stayed pending settlement, with a case management conference set for August 2026.
North Carolina (2024)
Wittels McInturff Palikovic also filed in the Western District of North Carolina (Civil Action No. 24-277).6Wittels McInturff Palikovic. WMP Files Class Action Lawsuit Against NordVPN Nord Security has said the North Carolina complaints were “fully dismissed by the courts,” though TechRadar reported it could not independently verify that claim.7TechRadar. NordVPN Hit With Yet Another Lawsuit Over Difficult-to-Cancel Auto-Renewal Subscriptions
New York — Kandeh v. Nordvpn S.A.
Lanzy Kandeh filed on March 28, 2025 in the Southern District of New York (Case No. 1:25-cv-02571).8CourtListener. Kandeh v. Nordvpn S.A. He alleged he was charged $119.08 for a year of service he did not know would auto-renew, and the complaint seeks at least $50 million on behalf of a proposed class of New York consumers.9Top Class Actions. NordVPN Faces Another Class Action Over Deceptive Auto-Renewal Tactics It cites New York’s Automatic Renewal Law and points to CFPB guidance on negative option marketing.10Truth in Advertising. Kandeh v. NordVPN Complaint The defendants filed a motion to dismiss on October 14, 2025. As of mid-2026, the court had not ruled.
Illinois — Sasgen v. NordVPN S.A.
Michael Sasgen filed on June 20, 2025 in the Northern District of Illinois (Case No. 1:25-cv-06822), alleging violations of the Illinois Automatic Contract Renewal Act and the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.1ClassAction.org. NordVPN Lawsuit Claims Consumers Tricked Into Auto-Renewing Subscriptions The proposed class covers anyone in Illinois who was automatically enrolled and charged for at least one month of a Nord Security membership.11Top Class Actions. Nord Security Faces Third Class Action Lawsuit Over Deceptive Subscription Tactics On April 29, 2026, the court granted a motion to stay proceedings pending settlement, with a joint status report on finalization due by July 27, 2026.12Docket Alarm. Sasgen v. NordVPN S.A. et al.
Virginia — Schnappinger v. NordVPN S.A.
The largest and most recent case was filed on April 10, 2026 in the Eastern District of Virginia (Case No. 1:26-cv-00982) by Craig Schnappinger, an active-duty service member.13ClassAction.org. Nord Security Facing Class Action Lawsuit Over Allegedly Tricking Customers Into Automatically Renewing Subscriptions Schnappinger alleges he was charged for unwanted renewals in 2023, 2024, and 2025 because cancellation was “intentionally” and “exceedingly” difficult. The complaint seeks class certification for NordVPN, NordPass, and NordLocker customers in Virginia and North Carolina, an injunction against the challenged practices, and at least $100 million in damages, citing the Virginia Consumer Protection Act and North Carolina’s Automatic Renewal Law.7TechRadar. NordVPN Hit With Yet Another Lawsuit Over Difficult-to-Cancel Auto-Renewal Subscriptions As of the filing date, no responsive filings had appeared on the docket.14Unicourt. Schnappinger v. NordVPN S.A., et al.
Other Filings
TechRadar identified two additional class actions filed in early 2026, Sasgen v. NordVPN S.A. in February and Tio v. NordVPN S.A. in March, raising similar allegations. Law360 has reported on a separate proposed class action filed in the District of Connecticut around the same time as the Virginia suit.15Law360. NordVPN Hit With Dark Patterns Class Actions in Va., Conn.
No case has reached trial, and no class has been formally certified.
What Nord Security Says
Laura Tyrylyte, a privacy advocate at NordVPN, said the company “takes its legal obligations seriously and believes its practices are in compliance with applicable consumer protection laws.”7TechRadar. NordVPN Hit With Yet Another Lawsuit Over Difficult-to-Cancel Auto-Renewal Subscriptions According to Tyrylyte, subscription terms and auto-renewal policies are “clearly presented to users at the point of purchase,” and renewal reminders go out 30 days before charges on long-term recurring subscriptions.
The company updated its terms of service in February 2026. Tyrylyte described the update as “part of our ongoing commitment to providing customers with clear and accessible information about our services and meeting regulatory requirements.” The revised Subscription Terms, dated February 15, 2026, confirm that subscriptions of one year or longer are billed 14 days before the start of the renewal period, and that cancellation must be completed through the Billing section of a user’s Nord Account before the billing date to prevent future charges.16Nord Account. Subscription Terms That 14-day pre-renewal billing window is the same practice the lawsuits challenge.
The State Laws Being Used
The complaints rely on a patchwork of state auto-renewal laws rather than a single federal statute. California’s Automatic Renewal Law, the most detailed of the group, requires businesses to clearly disclose renewal terms, obtain affirmative consent before charging, send a retainable acknowledgment after purchase, and allow online cancellation without obstructive steps when a subscription was signed up for online. Illinois’s Automatic Contract Renewal Act follows a similar framework, including the online-signup-means-online-cancellation rule. New York, Virginia, and North Carolina each have their own versions.
The Kandeh complaint in New York also invoked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s January 2023 guidance circular, which warned that companies risk violating the Consumer Financial Protection Act if they fail to clearly disclose material terms, fail to obtain informed consent, or mislead consumers who try to cancel.17Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CFPB Issues Guidance To Root Out Tactics Which Charge People Fees for Subscriptions They Don’t Want None of the NordVPN complaints appear to have been filed directly under federal statutes like the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.
What This Means if You Have a NordVPN Subscription
If you’re on an annual or longer plan, Nord’s own Subscription Terms confirm that your card will be charged 14 days before the renewal date, not on it. To stop that charge, you need to turn off auto-renewal in the Billing section of your Nord Account before the billing date. The lawsuits allege that toggle is hard to find; the terms confirm it is where cancellation has to happen.
The 30-day reminder email Nord sends is not the deadline. The deadline is at least 14 days before your subscription expires, because that is when the renewal charge actually posts.
Two of the cases, in California and Illinois, are in settlement discussions. If either produces a class settlement, notice and claim procedures for eligible customers would follow from the court, not from Nord Security directly.