The Safeway settlement is a $5.95 million class action resolution covering people who kept getting marketing text messages from Safeway, Albertsons, and their sister grocery brands after replying “Stop.” Claimants who filed by the September 10, 2025 deadline are in line for payments of at least $100 each once the court’s October 3, 2025 final approval hearing clears and any appeals run their course.1Kroll Settlement Administration. Kamel et al. v. Albertsons Companies Inc
Who the Settlement Covers
The class includes anyone in the United States who, between June 1, 2023 and July 11, 2025, received more than one marketing text from Albertsons, Safeway, Star Markets, or any affiliated brand or subsidiary within a 12-month period after opting out. The opt-out had to be a “Stop” reply or a similar instruction included in the company’s own messages.2Kroll Settlement Administration. Kamel et al. v. Albertsons Companies Inc – Frequently Asked Questions
A few pieces of that definition do real work. One unwanted text after opting out was not enough; you needed at least two within a 12-month window. Confirmation messages acknowledging your opt-out did not count. And the messages had to be marketing, meaning they promoted the company’s products or services rather than, say, a prescription notification.
Albertsons operates dozens of regional grocery brands, and the class definition reached all of them. If you got the texts from a store in the Albertsons family, the same rules applied whether the storefront said Safeway or something else.
The underlying claim was that the companies violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by continuing to send marketing texts to customers who had already opted out. Under the TCPA, consumers can recover up to $500 per violation, or up to $1,500 per violation if the sender acted knowingly.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 47 U.S. Code 227 – Restrictions on Use of Telephone Equipment Albertsons did not admit wrongdoing and agreed to settle to avoid further litigation.
How Much You Get and When
The fund is $5.95 million. After court-approved attorney fees, administrative costs, and any service awards to the named plaintiffs, the remainder splits pro rata among valid claimants. The settlement website estimated each qualifying class member would receive at least $100, with the final figure depending on how many valid claims came in.1Kroll Settlement Administration. Kamel et al. v. Albertsons Companies Inc
Fewer claims means a larger check per person. In TCPA settlements this size, filing rates tend to run well below the eligible population, which often pushes individual payments above the floor.
Payments go out by check to the mailing address on the claim form. If you’ve moved since filing, updating your address with Kroll Settlement Administration matters. No money can be distributed until the court grants final approval and any appeal window closes. With the final approval hearing set for October 3, 2025, payments would typically follow within about 60 days after the settlement becomes final, assuming no appeals.
What You Gave Up by Staying In
Everyone who stayed in the class released their right to bring a separate lawsuit against Albertsons, Safeway, or any affiliated defendant over the same conduct. That release applies whether or not you actually filed a claim. If you remained in the class and never filed, you gave up the right to sue and got nothing back for it.1Kroll Settlement Administration. Kamel et al. v. Albertsons Companies Inc
The math can feel uncomfortable. Someone who received dozens of texts after opting out could calculate individual TCPA damages well above $100. Individual suits, though, carry filing costs, uncertain outcomes, and long timelines, and most class members weigh the guaranteed payment against those factors and stay put. The only way to preserve an individual claim was a written exclusion request by September 10, 2025, and that window is closed.
Taxes on Your Payment
Settlement money from this case is almost certainly taxable income. The IRS excludes settlement proceeds from gross income only when they compensate for physical injuries or physical sickness.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 104 – Compensation for Injuries or Sickness TCPA claims involve privacy and unwanted communications, not physical harm, so the exclusion does not apply.
Claims administrators generally have to report settlement payments to the IRS, and you may receive a Form 1099 for the amount you’re paid.5Internal Revenue Service. Tax Implications of Settlements and Judgments On a $100 payment the tax hit is modest, but the income still belongs on your return. If the payout comes in higher than the minimum estimate, the tax obligation scales with it.
If You Missed the Deadline
Both the claim deadline and the exclusion deadline fell on September 10, 2025. If you never filed and never asked to be excluded, you’re still in the class. That means your claims against the defendants were released, but no payment is coming.
Late claims are rarely allowed in class action settlements unless the court specifically permits them. If you believe you had an unusually strong individual TCPA claim involving a large number of messages, a consumer rights attorney can tell you whether any options remain, though the realistic answer for most people who missed the deadline is that the matter is closed.