Press Release
February 3, 2021 (Kansas City, MO) – A federal judge recently approved a settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by Paynter Law and co-counsel on behalf of consumers who purchased or exchanged AmeriGas and/or Blue Rhino propane tanks.
The lawsuit alleged that AmeriGas and Blue Rhino made an unlawful agreement to reduce the amount of propane gas in the pre-filled propane tanks they sold to their customers from 17 pounds to 15 pounds, while maintaining the original per-tank prices, and that this improperly inflated the cost of propane to retail purchasers. In November 2020, Defendant AmeriGas agreed to settle the class-action claims. The Court gave its initial approval to the settlement, and the Claims Period opened on January 6, 2021.
But time is running out for consumers to get compensated: claims must be submitted by March 8, 2021. Under the Settlement, eligible class members will receive up to $5.00 per tank for each eligible purchase or exchange made between December 1, 2009 and November 30, 2020.
How to Know if You Might Have an Eligible Claim:
You are eligible to participate in the settlement if you purchased or exchanged one or more pre-filled AmeriGas and/or Blue Rhino propane gas tanks:
(1) From either:
(a) A vending machine anywhere in the U.S., and/or
(b) Any retailer (like Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, or a gas station) in any of the following states: Arizona, California, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and/or West Virginia;
(2) Between December 1, 2009 and November 30, 2020; and
(3) You did not purchase the tank(s) for the purpose of reselling them to consumers.
How to File a Claim or Get More Information:
You can find all the details of the Settlement at www.propanesettlement.com, where you can also submit an online Claim Form by March 8, 2021. You can also download a PDF version of the Claim Form and submit a Claim Form by email to Claims@PropaneSettlement.com. You can also call 1-855-940-5296 to request a paper copy of the Claim Form.
The case is captioned In re Pre-Filled Propane Tank Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2567, Master Case No. 14-02567-MD-W-GAF, and is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Paynter Law is co-counsel on the case with the law firms of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP.
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About Paynter Law:
With two offices in North Carolina and one in Washington, D.C., Paynter Law is dedicated to protecting the rights of businesses, consumers, and victims of fraud and negligence, with a focus on insurance disputes, class actions, high-stakes personal injury litigation, complex commercial cases, intellectual property disputes, and antitrust litigation. More about the firm can be found at: www.paynterlaw.com. Contact Info: Celeste Boyd / 919-307-9991 / cboyd@paynterlaw.com