TCPA Settlements: Largest Cases and 2025-2026 Payouts

TCPA settlements are payouts from class action lawsuits accusing companies of violating the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act by making robocalls, sending prerecorded voicemails, or texting people without proper consent. Funds have ranged from about $1 million to more than $75 million, and a single 2017 court judgment against Dish Network reached $280 million.¹ Individual class members usually receive between $6 and $75, though smaller cases with tighter classes have paid hundreds or even more than $1,500 per person.

Why TCPA Settlement Funds Get So Large

The TCPA lets individuals recover $500 for each illegal call or text, and $1,500 per violation if a court finds the company acted willfully or knowingly.² Damages are calculated per violation, not based on actual harm, so a campaign of a million unsolicited texts creates $500 million in potential exposure before anyone shows they lost money.

The law also imposes strict liability, and courts have held companies vicariously liable for calls made by third-party contractors even without specific authorization.³ There is no cap on aggregate class damages. One Georgia court entered a $459 million award in a single case.² Many defendants also find that their insurance policies exclude TCPA claims, leaving them to absorb settlement costs directly. That combination is why companies frequently settle rather than take a case to verdict.

The Largest TCPA Settlements on Record

The single biggest monetary penalty came from a court judgment rather than a settlement. In June 2017, a federal judge in the Central District of Illinois found Dish Network liable for more than 66 million violations of the TCPA and the Telemarketing Sales Rule and ordered $280 million in penalties, along with a permanent injunction requiring a compliance expert and unannounced inspections.¹ Dish separately settled a private TCPA class action for $61 million later that same year.⁴

Among negotiated class settlements, several stand out for size:

Capital One, $75.5 million (2014). Filed in the Northern District of Illinois, the case accused Capital One and several debt-collection affiliates of using autodialers to call cell phones without consent. Capital One contributed $73 million and agreed to system enhancements to verify consent before autodialed calls.⁵
Caribbean Cruise Line, $56 to $76 million (2016). In Birchmeier v. Caribbean Cruise Line, defendants allegedly placed more than 900,000 robocalls offering free cruises tied to a political survey. Valid claimants were entitled to at least $500 per call, with the fund’s final size depending on claims filed.⁶
US Coachways, $50 million (2018), following a separate settlement of nearly $50 million in 2016.⁴
AT&T, $45 million, involving alleged TCPA violations by the telecom.⁷
Wells Fargo, $30.4 million (2017), plus a second Wells Fargo TCPA settlement of $16.3 million.⁴

Recent TCPA Settlements in 2025 and 2026

Settlement activity has stayed heavy through 2025 and into 2026, covering banks, insurers, healthcare plans, real estate brokerages, solar installers, and retailers.

Momentum Solar, Up to $30 Million

Momentum Solar faced robocall allegations and announced a settlement of up to $30 million in April 2025.⁸

Citibank, $29.5 Million

In Head v. Citibank, N.A., the bank settled for $29.5 million over allegations it used an Aspect dialer to place prerecorded voice calls about past-due credit card accounts to cell phone numbers that did not belong to current or former Citibank customers. The class covered calls made from August 2014 through July 2024, and eligible claimants could receive approximately $1,500 each. A federal judge in Arizona granted final approval in January 2025.⁹

Sirius XM, $28 Million

Sirius XM agreed to a $28 million settlement in January 2026 over allegations that it placed telemarketing calls to consumers on Do Not Call lists.⁸

Realogy (Coldwell Banker), $20 Million

In Bumpus v. Realogy Brokerage Group, a court granted final approval in March 2026 for a $20 million settlement. The case alleged Coldwell Banker-affiliated agents made roughly 700,000 calls between 2015 and 2020 using auto-dialers to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry and placed prerecorded solicitation messages. The class included about 298,494 members. After deductions for legal fees and administration, roughly $12.6 million was designated for class distribution, with estimated individual payouts of about $281.¹⁰¹¹

Kaiser Permanente, $10.5 Million

In Fried v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaiser settled for $10.5 million over allegations it continued sending marketing texts to people who had already replied “stop” or used similar opt-out language. The case was brought under both the TCPA and the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act. Eligible class members received up to $75 per qualifying text sent after their opt-out request. The claim deadline was February 12, 2026, and payments were distributed on March 16, 2026.¹²¹³

Gen Digital (Norton and LifeLock), $9.95 Million

In Jackson v. Gen Digital Inc., filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the company settled for $9.95 million over allegations it placed prerecorded voice calls about LifeLock or Norton accounts to people who never had such accounts. Individual payouts were estimated between $200 and $625 depending on the number of claims filed. The claim deadline was April 13, 2026.¹⁴¹⁵

Other Recent Settlements Worth Noting

Dozens of additional TCPA settlements were approved in 2025 and early 2026. Among them: Zales Jewelers ($7.5 million for alleged spam texts), NRS Pay (up to $6.5 million for prerecorded telemarketing calls), Wilshire Law Firm (up to $5.975 million for prerecorded messages), Albertsons ($5.95 million for marketing calls and texts without consent), Athena Bitcoin ($4.5 million for marketing texts sent after opt-out), and Nationwide Mutual Insurance ($1.4 million for prerecorded calls about pet insurance renewals).⁸

What Individual Class Members Actually Get Paid

Average per-person payouts in TCPA class actions typically fall between $6 and $75, though smaller classes produce much higher recoveries.¹⁶ One case with roughly 750 class members paid each person $550 after fees.

Four factors drive what any individual takes home:

Class size. Larger classes dilute the fund. Realogy’s 298,494 members split $12.6 million for an estimated $281 each, while Citibank’s narrower class produced payouts near $1,500.⁹
Claim filing rate. A 2019 FTC study of consumer class actions found a median claim rate of 9%, with a weighted mean of 4%. Fewer claims means a bigger share for those who do file. In the Register.com settlement, only 453 phone numbers were identified, producing an estimated $2,130 per claimant.¹⁷¹⁸
Deductions. Attorneys’ fees, administration costs, and service awards to named plaintiffs come out of the fund before payouts. In Realogy, $6 million went to attorneys’ fees and $892,373 to expenses.¹⁰
Pro rata adjustments. Most settlements reduce payments proportionally if total valid claims exceed the fund.

How To Claim a TCPA Settlement

Once a court grants preliminary approval, a settlement administrator identifies and notifies class members. Because defendants’ records usually contain only phone numbers, the administrator performs a reverse lookup to reach people by email or mail; contacting class members using the original phone numbers could itself violate the TCPA.¹⁹

Class members then have a window of several months to file a claim online or by mail, opt out of the settlement, or object to its terms. After the claim period closes, the court holds a final approval hearing. Approved payments go out by check, electronic payment, or both, with platforms like PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle increasingly offered.¹⁰ If you receive a notice by mail or email referencing a company that called or texted you, that notice will list the case name, the claim deadline, and the website for filing. Missing the deadline generally forfeits the payment.

What the TCPA Prohibits

The TCPA restricts several categories of communication. Companies must obtain prior express consent before placing autodialed or prerecorded calls and texts to cell phones. Written consent is required for telemarketing calls specifically. Prerecorded telemarketing messages must include an opt-out mechanism at the beginning of the message, and callers must identify themselves by name and business. Telemarketing calls to home phones are prohibited before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.²⁰

Recent FCC rules let consumers revoke consent through “any reasonable manner,” and companies cannot limit opt-outs to specific keywords. Words like “stop,” “quit,” “cancel,” or “unsubscribe” sent by text are per se reasonable methods of revocation. Once a consumer opts out, the company must stop all robocalls and texts within 10 business days, down from 30. AI-generated voice calls are also illegal unless the consumer has specifically agreed to receive them.²⁰

Several recent settlements, including Kaiser Permanente and Nationwide, were brought under both the federal TCPA and Florida’s Telephone Solicitation Act, which provides $500 per violation (up to $1,500 for willful conduct), limits companies to three solicitation attempts per topic in a 24-hour period, and reaches a broader range of automated systems than the federal statute.²¹ Oklahoma, Washington, Georgia, Connecticut, Texas, and Virginia have enacted or expanded their own telemarketing laws, several with private rights of action, meaning some claims you see may come from state statutes rather than the federal TCPA alone.²²

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Claim Depot. Realogy TCPA Settlement
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National Mortgage Professional. Realogy Settles TCPA Class Action Lawsuit for $20M
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HIPAA Journal. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Telephone Consumer Protection Act Lawsuit
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ClassAction.org. $9.95M Gen Digital Settlement Ends Class Action Lawsuit
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Jackson IVR Settlement. Jackson v. Gen Digital Inc. Settlement
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TCPA World. $933 a Class Member Settlement
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Federal Trade Commission. Consumers and Class Actions: A Retrospective Analysis
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ClassAction.org. $1.5M Register.com Settlement Ends Class Action
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Epiq Global. Top Things You Must Know About TCPA Cases
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Federal Communications Commission. Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts
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Klein Moynihan Turco LLP. Trend Continues: More State TCPA Laws Introduced
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Kaufman Dolowich LLP. State Mini-TCPA Laws Growing: Texas Latest to Update Its Telemarketing Rules