The "do nothing" option
The "do nothing" option means ignoring a class action notice: you stay in the class, give up the covered claims and get paid only if payment is automatic.
Also called: doing nothing, ignoring a class action notice
The "do nothing" option means ignoring a class action notice: you stay in the class, give up the covered claims and get paid only if payment is automatic.
What it means
The "do nothing" option is one of the choices on a class action settlement notice. It means you ignore the notice and take no step by the deadlines. You do not file a claim, you do not opt out and you do not object.
Doing nothing is still a choice, and it has effects. You stay in the class, and the court's judgment binds you. You give up the right to sue the company separately over the claims the settlement covers. A Federal Judicial Center sample notice describes this option bluntly for a claim-form settlement: no payment, and your rights are given up.
There is one big exception. Some settlements pay people automatically, using the company's records, so you do not have to file anything to receive a payment. The notice says which kind of settlement you are in. Your other options are to file a claim, opt out or object.
What it means for you
Doing nothing is a sound choice only if you do not want any money and do not care about suing separately. If the settlement requires a claim and you qualify, doing nothing means you leave the money behind and still lose your claims. Read the notice to see whether payment is automatic or whether you must file by a deadline. Filing a claim with the settlement administrator costs nothing.
Owed finds settlements you may qualify for and reminds you before deadlines, while you submit each claim yourself.
Example
Say a notice arrives about a settlement over a streaming service's price increase. Three neighbors each get it. One files a claim online and later gets a check. One opts out because she plans to sue on her own. The third ignores the email. He stays in the class and is bound by the settlement. Because this deal requires a claim form, he gets no payment and cannot sue the company over the price increase later.
FAQ
You stay in the class and are bound by the settlement, so you give up the right to sue over the covered claims. In most settlements you get no payment unless you file a claim. A few pay automatically, and the notice says if yours does.
No. You are not required to respond. But if you want a payment from a claim-form settlement, you must file a claim by the deadline.
Related terms
- Judges' Class Action Notice and Claims Process Checklist and Plain Language Guide (Federal Judicial Center, 2010)
- FTC staff report, Consumers and Class Actions: A Retrospective and Analysis of Settlement Campaigns (2019)
- Manual for Complex Litigation, Fourth, section 21.66 (Federal Judicial Center)
- Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23, class actions (Cornell LII)
Updated Oct 18, 2026. Plain-English definitions for general information — not legal or tax advice.