Several class action lawsuits in Michigan are actively paying claims or accepting late submissions in 2026, including the Flint water settlement, a $55 million unemployment agency case, and multiple healthcare and financial data breach settlements. Whether you qualify depends on the specific class definition and claim deadline for each case, and in most settlements you need to file a claim form to receive money even if you were automatically included as a class member.
Settlements Paying Michigan Residents Now
Flint Water Crisis — $626 Million
The Flint water settlement is the largest class action resolution tied to Michigan, compensating residents exposed to lead-contaminated drinking water after the city’s 2014 water source switch. Final judicial approval came in 2023, and payments are moving in stages.
As of mid-2026, 10,546 award letters have been issued for residential property damage claims, with payments going out since December 2025. The maximum property award is $1,000 per residential property, divided among all approved claimants at that address.
U.S. District Judge Judith Levy authorized payments to adults with approved personal injury claims on March 23, 2026. More than 12,000 adult claimants have approved injury claims, and payments are being issued in two installments; the second will follow once appeals to the settlement agreement are resolved. Payments for minors, who are entitled to the majority of the funds, require structured settlements or trusts and are still being prepared.
Of roughly 11,000 approved individuals in the first three payment groups, about 8,127 had completed their payment elections by early June 2026. The court-appointed Special Master has warned claimants about phishing scams: the only authorized phone number for the Distribution Administrator is 1-888-893-7470.
Saunders v. Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency — $55 Million
Workers whom the UIA ordered to repay jobless benefits before their appeals were resolved secured a $55 million settlement in Kellie Saunders, et al. v. State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, et al., Case No. 22-000007-MM, filed in the Michigan Court of Claims. The court gave final approval on May 13, 2025, and payments for valid, timely-filed claims were mailed on August 1, 2025.
The class covers people from whom the UIA collected money while a timely protest or appeal was pending, after a claimant was unable to access protest services, or after a protest was never processed or was deleted. The claims period runs from March 1, 2020 through April 25, 2024.
The original claim deadline has passed, but late claims can still be submitted at bwclassactions.com, subject to court approval. Payments on late claims are expected to be determined around fall 2026. The UIA did not admit liability, and participating workers released all claims against the agency.
McLaren Health Care Data Breach — $14 Million
Womack-Devereaux, et al. v. McLaren Health Care Corp., Case No. 24-121459, received final approval from the Genesee County Circuit Court on April 21, 2026. The case arose from two ransomware attacks: an August 2023 incident attributed to the ALPHV/BlackCat group that affected roughly 2.5 million people, and a 2024 breach linked to the Inc Ransom group that affected more than 740,000.
Class members were eligible for up to $5,000 in documented loss payments, a pro rata cash payment without documentation, and one year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection. McLaren admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to enhance its data security program.
700Credit Data Breach — $17.5 Million (Preliminary Approval)
In re 700 Credit Data Security Litigation, Case No. 2:25-cv-13747, received preliminary approval from U.S. District Judge Robert White on June 4, 2026. The breach, discovered in October 2025, exposed names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of about 5.8 million consumers who applied for financing at auto dealerships served by 700Credit.
Under the proposed terms, class members can claim up to $2,500 for documented fraud-related losses or receive an estimated $50 cash payment without documentation. All class members would receive two years of credit monitoring. The final approval hearing is scheduled for December 15, 2026 in the Eastern District of Michigan. 700Credit denies wrongdoing.
Lansing Community College Data Breach — $1.45 Million
In re Lansing Community College Data Breach Litigation, Case No. 1:23-cv-00738, filed in the Western District of Michigan, settled for $1.45 million. The intrusion between December 2022 and March 2023 potentially compromised the names and Social Security numbers of employees, students, and vendors. Benefits include reimbursement for documented losses up to $2,000 per person and alternative cash payments.
Distribution has been delayed by an appeal. As of March 2026, the court ordered the objector to advance the appeal by April 1, 2026 or face denial.
Parchment PFAS Contamination — $11.9 Million
A class action against 3M and Georgia-Pacific over PFAS contamination of Parchment’s drinking water settled for $11.9 million in April 2021. The contamination traced to a paper mill landfill and affected roughly 3,000 residents. The settlement class included anyone who owned, leased, or resided in properties served by the Parchment water system as of July 26, 2018.
Automotive Supplier Wage-and-Hour Case — $4.3 Million
A collective action against a multi-site plastics manufacturer supplying the automotive industry finalized a $4.3 million settlement on January 30, 2026. The case, filed in March 2024, alleged that the company used a time-rounding scheme that deprived roughly 9,900 hourly employees of overtime pay in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The case name and court were not publicly identified in reporting by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
National Settlements Open to Michigan Residents
Several national settlements with near-term claim deadlines also cover Michigan residents, according to reporting by the Lansing State Journal:
- Tyson and Cargill beef price-fixing, $87.5 million, covering residents of 26 states including Michigan for alleged price-fixing between 2014 and 2019. Deadline: June 30, 2026.
- Lakeview Loan Servicing data breach, $26 million, tied to an October 2021 breach. Deadline: June 22, 2026.
- Trader Joe’s FACTA violation, $7.4 million, over prohibited information printed on receipts. Deadline: June 9, 2026.
- Complete Payroll Solutions data breach, $2.6 million, from a March 2024 breach. Deadline: June 18, 2026.
- Krispy Kreme data breach, $1.6 million, from a breach discovered in November 2024. Deadline: June 22, 2026.
How to File a Claim, Join, or Opt Out
Most class actions in Michigan are structured as opt-out cases. If you fit the class definition, you are automatically a class member without doing anything. You only need to act in two situations: to file a claim and receive money from a settlement, or to opt out and preserve your right to sue individually.
When a settlement is reached, class members typically receive notice by mail or email explaining options and deadlines. Filing a claim usually means completing a form online or by mail by a set deadline. Some settlements pay a flat amount with no documentation required; others pay more to claimants who submit proof of their losses, such as receipts, bank records, or evidence of identity theft.
Opting out requires affirmatively notifying the court or settlement administrator before the deadline printed in the class notice. If you stay in the class and accept benefits, you generally give up the right to bring a separate lawsuit over the same claims. There is no cost to participate; attorney fees and expenses come out of the settlement fund after the court approves them.
A smaller set of cases, especially wage-and-hour disputes under federal law like the automotive supplier case above, are structured as opt-in actions. Workers must affirmatively elect to join, and the class notice explains how.
If you believe you qualify for a settlement but never received a notice, the official case website is the best starting point. Each of the Michigan settlements above has a dedicated administrator website where class members can confirm eligibility, update contact information, and submit claims.
How Michigan’s Class Action Rules Shape These Cases
Michigan Court Rule 3.501 governs state-court class actions and differs from the federal system in ways that affect which cases get filed where and how they move. Plaintiffs in state court must file a motion for class certification within 91 days of filing the complaint, or their class allegations can be struck. Federal Rule 23 imposes no comparable deadline.
Other differences shape the landscape:
- All class members in Michigan state cases have the right to opt out, regardless of the type of class action. Federal rules make that right mandatory only in certain categories.
- Michigan’s rule does not divide class actions into the three categories federal Rule 23 uses, each with different requirements.
- Michigan Court Rule 3.501 bars class actions seeking statutory penalties or minimum statutory recovery unless the underlying statute specifically allows it. That effectively keeps certain consumer protection claims, including Telephone Consumer Protection Act suits, out of Michigan state-court class actions.
- Michigan courts can revoke class certification at any time, without requiring changed circumstances. Federal courts have narrower grounds for altering certification.
In practice, many of the largest class actions involving Michigan residents are filed in federal court, particularly the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, where cases involving interstate defendants, federal claims, or more than $5 million in controversy typically land. The 700Credit, Lansing Community College, and McLaren cases listed above all moved through federal or circuit courts rather than being constrained by Rule 3.501’s state-court limits.