RG2 Claims Administration, LLC Announces Class Action Settlement on Behalf of Lufthansa Customers whose Flight was Cancelled Due to the Pandemic

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA|
Karla Maree et al. v. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Case No. 8:20-cv-00885-MWF-MRW

If you purchased tickets for travel on a Lufthansa flight scheduled to fly to or from the United States between January 1, 2020 and August 16, 2021 and your flight was cancelled by Lufthansa, you may be entitled for benefits from a class action settlement.

PHILADELPHIA, March 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

• A Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Plaintiffs allege that Deutsche Lufthansa AG ("Lufthansa") breached its General Conditions of Carriage ("GCC") by failing to refund them for flights cancelled due to Covid-19 at all or within a reasonable amount of time. Lufthansa maintains that it did not breach the GCC, that it did provide refunds within a reasonable amount of time particularly given Covid-19's impact on Lufthansa's operations and the airline industry generally, and it denies that it did anything wrong. The United States District Court for the Central District of California, which is overseeing this lawsuit, has not decided who is right. Instead, the parties agreed to a compromise.
• The Settlement only impacts you if you are a Settlement Class Member. A Settlement Class Member is a United States resident who purchased tickets for travel on a Lufthansa flight scheduled to operate to or from the United States between January 1, 2020 and August 16, 2021 and whose flights were cancelled by Lufthansa (the "Settlement Class"). Settlement Class Members consist of two categories of individuals: (1) Settlement Class Members who have received refunds from Lufthansa for Qualifying Flights; and (2) Settlement Class Members who have not, to date, received a refund for Qualifying Flights.
• Under the Settlement, Settlement Class Members who have already received a refund from Lufthansa and who submit a Claim Form will have the option to elect either (1) the Cash Option: $10, or (2) the Voucher Option: a Voucher for future travel with Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, Austrian Airlines, or Brussels Airlines in the amount of $45. Settlement Class Members who have not, to date, received a refund (but are entitled to one) can request a refund on the Claim Form and, upon submission of a valid Claim Form, Lufthansa will (i) provide them with a full refund, and (ii) provide an additional Interest Payment of one percent (1%) of the refund due. The Cash Option, Voucher Option, and Interest Payment are subject to a cap of $3.5 million (which is inclusive of all Attorneys' Fees, expenses, service awards, and Claims Administration Expenses). Refunds available for Settlement Class Members that had not yet received a refund are not subjected to the cap. If the value of the total Valid Claims exceeds the Net Claim Amount, Settlement Class Members who submitted a Valid Claim will receive a cash or voucher amount payout on a pro rata basis until the total Net Claim Amount has been paid.
• To obtain any Settlement Consideration, you must submit a valid Claim Form by the Claims Deadline – no later than May 9, 2023.
• Whether you act or not, your legal rights as a Settlement Class Member are affected by the Settlement. Your rights and options–and the deadlines to exercise them–are explained in this Class Notice. Please read the following Class Notice carefully in its entirety. Defined terms have the meanings in the Settlement Agreement.
  • If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, you must exclude yourself or "opt out" by May 15, 2023. If you do not opt out, you will release Claims that were or could have been made against Lufthansa related to this case. If you stay in the Settlement, you may object to it by May 15, 2023. The Long Form Notice on the website explains how to opt out or object. The Court has scheduled a hearing on June 5, 2023 to consider whether to approve the Settlement. You can appear at the hearing, but you do not have to do so. More information, including the Long Form Notice and information about attorneys' fees being sought, is available at the website and the toll-free number below.

SETTLEMENT CLASS MEMBERS' LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THE SETTLEMENT