The largest completed Optimum class action lawsuit was a $15 million settlement over undisclosed fees on internet and TV bills, approved in New Jersey in October 2023. Its claim deadline has passed, but Optimum (rebranded from Altice USA in November 2025) still faces active state attorney general suits in Connecticut and West Virginia, a mass arbitration campaign tied to the MSG Networks blackout, and a separate California settlement with payments going out through late 2026.
The $15 Million Hidden-Fee Settlement
Seale v. Altice USA, Inc. (Docket No. MER-L-618-23) accused the company of advertising flat monthly rates for Optimum and Suddenlink service while adding surcharges to customers’ bills. Internet subscribers saw a “Network Enhancement Fee” or “Network Access Surcharge.” TV subscribers were charged a “Broadcast Station Programming Surcharge,” “TV Broadcast Fee,” “Sports Programming Surcharge,” or “Regional Sports Network Fee.” The class covered anyone who paid one of those fees between July 27, 2018, and May 5, 2023.1Angeion Group. Altice Settlement Claim Form
Altice denied wrongdoing but agreed to a fund of up to $15 million. The New Jersey Superior Court for Mercer County granted final approval on October 13, 2023.2Top Class Actions. Optimum Suddenlink Fees $15M Class Action Settlement
Individual payments varied by fee type and customer status:
- $27.50 for current customers who paid both a Network Fee and a TV Fee
- $20.00 for former customers who paid both fee types
- $15.00 for current customers who paid a TV Fee only
- $12.50 for current customers who paid a Network Fee only
- $10.00 for former customers who paid either fee type
Those figures were subject to pro-rata reduction. The fund also had to cover up to $1.3 million in administration costs, attorneys’ fees of up to one-third of the fund (roughly $5 million), and $10,000 incentive awards for each of the eight class representatives.3Angeion Group. Altice Long Form Settlement Notice Class members released their claims and acknowledged that Altice could continue to adjust the disputed fees.4DeNittis Osefchen Prince, P.C. Altice Class Action Settlement
The claim filing deadline was September 5, 2023. No new claims can be submitted, and if you didn’t file by then you can no longer recover from this settlement.
The Cancellation-Policy Class Action
An earlier suit, Krafczek v. Cablevision Systems Corp. (Case No. 2:17-cv-02915), targeted a different practice. After Altice acquired Cablevision in 2016, the company allegedly changed its cancellation policy so that disconnections took effect only at the end of a billing cycle. Customers who cut service and returned equipment mid-month were still billed through the end of the month.5StreamTV Insider. Altice-Owned Optimum Sued Over Cancellation Policy
Filed in Nassau County, New York on March 30, 2017 and removed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York,6Stop the Cap. Krafczek v. Cablevision Notice of Removal the case alleged violations of New York General Business Law ยง 349 and unjust enrichment. It sought at least $50 per class member plus punitive damages, on behalf of customers in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey who disconnected between October 2016 and May 2017. Altice called the suit “without merit,” and the available record does not show a final disposition.5StreamTV Insider. Altice-Owned Optimum Sued Over Cancellation Policy
The California Flores Settlement
A separate case, Flores v. Optimum, Inc. (Case No. CIVSB2331827), reached its final hearing in San Bernardino County Superior Court on January 12, 2026. Settlement checks were disbursed on April 22, 2026. Recipients have until October 19, 2026 to cash their payments, and any unclaimed funds go to California’s Unclaimed Property Fund after that.7Apex Class Action. Optimum Class Action If you received a check from this settlement, deposit it before the October cutoff. The available research does not describe the allegations or the total settlement amount.
State Attorney General Actions That May Produce Refunds
Two state AG cases sit alongside the class actions and have already produced (or are seeking) consumer money.
West Virginia: $25 Bill Credits and Cash Refunds
West Virginia’s attorney general reached a $119.5 million settlement with Altice on January 10, 2025 after a nearly four-year investigation triggered by 2,300 consumer complaints between 2020 and 2023. Altice signed an “Assurance of Voluntary Compliance” and did not admit violating the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act.8TV Technology. West Virginia AG Reaches $119.5 Settlement With Altice USA
Of the total, $4 million was set aside for consumer relief. Eligible current customers receive $25 bill credits, and former customers can file for cash refunds.9Broadband Breakfast. Altice Settlement With West Virginia to Cost $44 Million in Internet Upgrades Most of the rest goes toward infrastructure Altice already spent on ($75 million) or has committed to spend by December 2027 ($40 million), with $500,000 paid to the state.
Connecticut: Active Suit Over the Network Enhancement Fee
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong sued CSC Holdings (Altice’s operating subsidiary) in May 2024 for violating the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. The investigation began in November 2022 after more than 500 consumer complaints about hidden fees, slow speeds, and poor support.10Connecticut Attorney General. Attorney General Tong Files Suit Against Altice Over Unlawful Network Enhancement Fee
Tong alleges Optimum advertised low monthly prices while burying a mandatory Network Enhancement Fee that new customers didn’t see until after they picked a plan. The fee rose from $2.50 per month in 2019 to $6.00, generating at least $39.1 million from Connecticut consumers, according to the AG.11CT Insider. Tong Expands Junk Fee Lawsuit Against Optimum The suit also accused Optimum of promoting “price for life” deals that excluded the fee, and of distributing Spanish-language marketing where the fine print appeared only in English.12Connecticut Attorney General. Attorney General Tong Files Expanded Complaint Against Altice
Tong filed an expanded complaint on November 6, 2025, seeking civil penalties and disgorgement of all revenue tied to the practices.13Inside Investigator. Tong Expands Junk Fee Suit Against Optimum Optimum spokesperson Raffaella Mazzella called the complaint “without merit” and noted the court had previously dismissed several claims from the original 2024 filing as “unsubstantiated.”11CT Insider. Tong Expands Junk Fee Lawsuit Against Optimum The case is active and the fee is still being charged. Any refund mechanism will depend on the outcome.
The MSG Networks Mass Arbitration
When the carriage agreement between Altice and MSG Networks expired on January 1, 2025, Optimum cable subscribers lost regional sports channels carrying Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, and Sabres games while still being billed for packages that had included them. On February 6, 2025, the attorneys general of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut jointly demanded automatic refunds. New York AG Letitia James said Optimum customers “have paid for channels to watch their home sports teams, but their cable company is not offering these channels while charging them anyway.”14New York Attorney General. Attorney General James Demands Refunds for Optimum Customers Facing MSG Blackouts Programming was restored February 22, 2025 after a new carriage deal.15StreamTV Insider. Altice USA, MSG Networks Reach Carriage Deal, Restore Programming to Optimum
Because Optimum’s customer agreement forces disputes into individual arbitration rather than class actions, the law firm Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman announced on January 30, 2025 that it would pursue mass arbitration claims on behalf of more than one million Optimum subscribers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, alleging the company kept billing for premium sports programming subscribers couldn’t access.16PR Newswire. Milberg Pursues Arbitration Claims on Behalf of Optimum Subscribers The blackout ended roughly three weeks later, and the current scope and status of the arbitration effort are not clear from available reporting.
Why Suing Optimum Has Been Hard, and What Just Changed
Optimum’s customer service agreements contain a binding arbitration clause and class action waiver governed by the Federal Arbitration Act. New subscribers have 30 days to opt out in writing. Anyone who doesn’t opt out is bound to resolve disputes through individual arbitration and gives up the right to a jury trial or class action.17Optimum Communications. Optimum Voice for Business Terms of Service
Courts had routinely enforced this clause. In Gerald Fazio Jr. v. Altice USA (Docket No. A-21-24), a New Jersey trial court and the Appellate Division both dismissed the customer’s suit and ordered individual arbitration as the “sole venue” for claims.18New Jersey Courts. Fazio v. Altice USA Respondent Brief
On July 11, 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously reversed. It ruled that Altice had not proved the arbitration agreement was ever actually delivered to Fazio. The company relied on general evidence of its business practices to argue the agreement had been emailed, but the court held that the supporting affidavit lacked the “granular detail” needed, such as who sent the email, what system triggered it, or how often the practice occurred. Because delivery wasn’t proved, the court didn’t reach whether the parties had agreed to arbitrate. The case was sent back for trial.19CaseMine. Specificity as the Keystone: New Jersey Supreme Court Clarifies When Habit Evidence Creates a Rebuttable Presumption (Fazio v. Altice USA) The ruling could make it harder for Optimum to push future customer disputes out of court in cases where the company can’t document that a specific subscriber received the agreement.
A Note on the Name Change
Altice USA legally changed its name to Optimum Communications, Inc. on November 7, 2025 and began trading on the NYSE as “OPTU” on November 19, 2025. The company said the rebrand did not affect ownership, leadership, services, or operations.20Optimum Communications. Altice USA Changes Corporate Name and NYSE Ticker Symbol to Optimum Communications Pending lawsuits continue under the company’s various legal entity names, so cases you see captioned “Altice USA,” “CSC Holdings,” or “Cablevision” all involve the same company that bills you as Optimum.