Settlement website
The settlement website is the official site for one settlement, run by the administrator, with the notice, claim form, deadlines and updates.
Also called: official settlement website, case website, class action website
The settlement website is the official site for one settlement, run by the administrator, with the notice, claim form, deadlines and updates.
What it means
A settlement website is a website built for one class action settlement, usually run by the settlement administrator. It is where you read the full notice, check who is in the class, see the deadlines, file a claim online and find contact details for questions. Its address often includes the case or company name.
Courts expect these sites to hold the key documents. The Federal Judicial Center suggests posting the settlement agreement, the claim form and important court orders on a neutral administrator's site. The Northern District of California's guidance says the site should list key deadlines and link to the notice, the claim form and the main court filings. Many sites also post updates, such as a moved hearing date or payment timing.
Your notice names the official web address. If you reached a site through an ad or a search result, compare it with the notice, because scammers copy settlement sites.
What it means for you
Start from the web address printed on your notice, and bookmark it. It is where you will check deadlines, find the claim form and read updates. Do not enter personal or payment details on a site you cannot match to the notice. Owed links to the official claim page for each settlement, but the settlement website controls the final dates and rules.
Example
Say you get a postcard about a settlement over an app's data practices. It lists a web address. You visit it and find the long-form notice, the claim form, a list of key dates and a contact page. A banner says the claim deadline moved two weeks, a change posted only on the website. You file there before the new date.
FAQ
Check that its address matches the one printed on your notice, that it names the court and the case, and that it never asks for a fee. If you are unsure, search the case name and compare what you find with the notice.
Yes. Filing directly through the official settlement website is free. If a site asks you to pay to file or to unlock a payment, it is not the official site.
Related terms
- Federal Judicial Center, Judges' Class Action Notice and Claims Process Checklist and Plain Language Guide (2010)
- N.D. Cal., Procedural Guidance for Class Action Settlements
- FTC Consumer Alert, Equifax Data Breach: Beware of Fake Settlement Websites
Updated Oct 18, 2026. Plain-English definitions for general information — not legal or tax advice.