If you or someone in your household were an AOL Member Between March 1, 2006 and May 31, 2006 you may be part of the AOL Search Class Action Lawsuit. This lawsuit revolves around claims that AOL made some users search queries available online. AOL denies any actions of wrong doing in the case and claims that the data was anonymous. Class members of the lawsuit disagree. In order to avoid a costly trail AOL has agreed to settlement terms. The final settlement amount has not yet been approved by the courts but an initial settlement of $5,000,000 has been proposed. A class member could get up to a $50 cash payment if they file a timely claim form. Please note that a payment of less than $50 is possible depending on how many people file claim. The deadline to submit a claim in the aolsearchdatasettlement is unknown at this time but a claim form can be found at the class administrators website. The claim form can be submitted by mail or email. If by mail please send the form to P.O. Box 65771, Sterling, VA 20165-8806 or by email at admin@aolsearchdatasettlement.com. www.aolsearchdatasettlement.com provides more information about the case or a class member can dial toll free 1-855-575-0127 for more information. More details about the types of payments are as follows:
Tier 1 Payment: If you were an AOL member between March and May 2006 and believe in good faith that your
search data was made available for download from research.aol.com, you are eligible for a payment of up to $50.
Tier 2 Payment: If you were an AOL member between March and May 2006 and believe that your search data
was made available for download from research.aol.com, and either (a) you have been identified from that data, or
(b) another person or company could be reasonably certain of your identity based on the data, you are eligible for
a payment of up to $100.
Arbitration Claim: If you are eligible for a Tier 2 Payment and feel you suffered losses greater than $100, you
can give up your right to that Tier Payment and file an “arbitration” claim. If you choose to do so, a neutral party
will assess your claim. There is no guarantee your Arbitration Claim will be successful or that you will receive
more than $100.
If you would like to object or exclude yourself from the AOL Search Class Action Lawsuit please do so before May 3 2013 or you will be bound by the decision made by the courts. A fairness hearing will be held on May 17 2013 to determine if the proposed settlement is fair. You do not have to hire a lawyer as the court has already appointed one to class members.
