HP Settles Three Class Action Lawsuits

On September 30, the U.S. District Court concluded three consolidated class action lawsuits filed in 2007. Each claimed that HP had misled consumers about its printer and ink cartridges.

One case claimed that HP “duped consumers into believing that they needed to replace the ink cartridges before the cartridges were empty.” The second one alleged that “HP neglected to tell customers that its printers combined colors from ink cartridges to print black and white text.” And the last one asserted “HP concealed that some of the ink cartridges had expiration dates.”

According to Courthouse News, a total of $1.35 million was awarded to attorneys with 13 million members who settled with HP over the lawsuits.

As per the settlement, HP will issue coupons worth $2 to $6, to discontinue using certain pop-up messages showing an image of an ink gauge, and to disclose additional information through the packaging, user manuals, interfaces and the HP website. It was reported that only 122,000 class members filed claims for coupons.