Forbes Media California website tracking settlement
Berman, et al. v. Forbes Media LLC
Also known as Forbes website tracking; Berman v. Forbes
The lawsuit said trackers on Forbes websites shared visitors’ IP addresses and IDs with third parties.
Copied from the official notice. Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- You could get
- A share of the fund $10 million fund, split among everyone who files.
Source
“Pro rata share of the $10M fund left after costs and fees”
From the administrator site: Official settlement website home page (administrator named in footer: Kroll Settlement Administration LLC). Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- You need
- No receipt needed Class Member ID from your email notice, if you have one (online form) Quick claim: describes the claim form only
Source
“I have a Class Member ID : If you received Notice of the Settlement in this class action lawsuit, you may be a Settlement Class Member. Please use the Class Member ID provided in your email notice to access and complete the online Proof of Claim form. Only one claim may be submitted per Class Member ID. I do not have a Class Member ID : If you did not receive a direct Notice or you do not otherwise have a Class Member ID, please select this option to file a claim.”
From the administrator site: Official Submit Claim page (two routes: with or without a Class Member ID). Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- Who can file
- California residents who used Forbes sites, Dec 2023 to Jun 2026
Source
“The Settlement Class consists of all California residents who, from December 20, 2023 to June 11, 2026, accessed websites owned or controlled by Forbes and had their IP addresses and/or unique identifiers shared with third parties as a result of the Trackers present on Forbes’s websites.”
From the administrator site: Official settlement website home page (administrator named in footer: Kroll Settlement Administration LLC). Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- Where
- California only
Source
“The Settlement Class consists of all California residents who, from December 20, 2023 to June 11, 2026, accessed websites owned or controlled by Forbes and had their IP addresses and/or unique identifiers shared with third parties as a result of the Trackers present on Forbes’s websites.”
From the administrator site: Official FAQ. Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- Time to file
- About 3 minutes
Source
Our estimate of how long the official claim form takes. The notice does not say.
From the official site: mediasitetrackersettlement.com. Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
Free. The official site never charges.
Quick answers
How much is the Forbes Media California website tracking settlement payout?
A share of the fund. $10 million fund, split among everyone who files.
Where is the Forbes Media California website tracking settlement claim form?
On the official site, www.mediasitetrackersettlement.com. Filing is free. The last day to file is Nov 9, 2026.
When will the Forbes Media California website tracking settlement pay?
Payment can only happen after the court gives final approval and any appeals are over.
The final approval hearing is set for Dec 2, 2026.
Is the Forbes Media California website tracking settlement legit?
The settlement administrator (the company that handles claims) is Kroll, and the official site is www.mediasitetrackersettlement.com. Real notices point there; if a link in a message goes anywhere else, do not use it.
The official site never asks you to pay to file.
Compare yourself to the official class definition
You may be included if you live in California and trackers on Forbes websites shared your IP address or ID, Dec. 20, 2023 to June 11, 2026.
Check each condition yourself. The boxes are only for you; nothing is sent or stored.
The Settlement Class consists of all California residents who, from December 20, 2023 to June 11, 2026, accessed websites owned or controlled by Forbes and had their IP addresses and/or unique identifiers shared with third parties as a result of the Trackers present on Forbes’s websites.
From the administrator site: Official FAQ
This checklist is for guidance only and can be wrong. Only the court's definition decides. Read the official wording before you file.
How to file
-
Find the code from your notice
- Class Member ID from your email notice, if you have one (online form)
-
Gather what you need
No proof of purchase is required.
-
File online, or by mail
At www.mediasitetrackersettlement.com, by Nov 9, 2026. Filing is free.
Or mail a paper claim form to:Berman, et al. v. Forbes Media LLC, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391
The deadline note says: “If the claim filing period for this case is still active, you can still file a claim by mail or call the hotline listed on this page to speak with a representative to assist you.” -
Save your confirmation
Keep your confirmation number or email. You do not need to file again.
Confirm with the administrator before you act.
After you file
Payment can only happen after the court gives final approval and any appeals are over.
The final approval hearing is set for Dec 2, 2026.
For context: First payments were issued 52 to 875 days after final approval, based on 15 settlements. Half were paid within 119 days. 1 of the 15 waited on appeals after approval.
Also ending this week
Related settlements
Case details
- Case
- Berman, et al. v. Forbes Media LLC
- Court
- United States District Court for the Northern District of California
- Case number
- 3:24-cv-09287-WHO
- Administrator
- Kroll
- Official site
- www.mediasitetrackersettlement.com
- Settlement fund
- $10,000,000
- Full payout terms
- Pro rata share of the $10M fund left after costs and feesForbes will pay $10,000,000 into a Settlement Fund. After Administration Costs, any Court-awarded Attorneys' Fees and Costs and Incentive Awards are paid, each Settlement Class Member who files a valid Proof of Claim form will receive a pro rata (proportional) share of the remaining balance of the Settlement Fund. The amount of each payment will depend on how many Settlement Class Members timely submit valid Proof of Claim forms.
- Effort
- Easy, about 3 minutes
- States
- California
Other dates
- Opt-out (exclusion) deadline
- (passed) source document
- Objection deadline
- (passed) source document
- Final approval hearing
- (ahead) source document
The court’s exact words
The Settlement Class consists of all California residents who, from December 20, 2023 to June 11, 2026, accessed websites owned or controlled by Forbes and had their IP addresses and/or unique identifiers shared with third parties as a result of the Trackers present on Forbes’s websites.
Quoted from the official notice. Read the notice for the full definition.
Our notes: The notice describes the class as California residents who, from December 20, 2023 to June 11, 2026, accessed websites owned or controlled by Forbes and had their IP addresses or unique identifiers shared with third parties through trackers. The claim form asks you to confirm under penalty of perjury that you accessed Forbes.com while in California during that period. Read the notice for the full definition and exclusions.
Sources and checks (5)
Every fact people act on was copied from the official source and compared with it. How we check
- Official settlement website home page (administrator named in footer: Kroll Settlement Administration LLC) administrator site
- Official FAQ administrator site
- Official Proof of Claim form (PDF) administrator site
- Official claim page for people without a Class Member ID administrator site
- Official Submit Claim page (two routes: with or without a Class Member ID) administrator site
What changedLast change Nov 6, 2026
- Changed the short description of who is covered to say California residents who used Forbes sites, not people browsing from California. source document
- Claim deadline detail now says the website is temporarily unable to process online claim forms and that claims can still be filed by mail or by calling the hotline. source document
- Removed the 11:59 pm Pacific cutoff that could not be reproduced on re-check; said plainly that the no-ID route can lead to a paper form. source document
- Claim deadline detail made more careful: it now gives the date and the mail postmark rule as the firm facts, says one version of the online claim form shows an 11:59 pm Pacific Time cutoff and that the page does not show the same thing to every visitor, and tells readers not to wait for the last day. The deadline date (November 9, 2026) is unchanged. This came from the independent check. source document
- The online claim form for people without a Class Member ID now says: "To receive a payment from this Settlement, you must submit a Proof of Claim form online or by mail by 11:59 pm PT on November 9, 2026." On October 3 that page said such people could not file online and had to mail the paper form. Claim deadline detail updated to give the 11:59 pm PT online cutoff and the option for people without a Class Member ID. The deadline date itself (November 9, 2026) is unchanged. source document
- Claim deadline detail now says online filing needs the Class Member ID from the email notice, and that without one the paper form must be mailed, postmarked by November 9, 2026. This came from the independent second check. source document
- Page created. Claims open until November 9, 2026. source document
Questions
I already filed. What now?
Keep your confirmation number or email. You do not need to file again. Payment can only happen after the court gives final approval; once it does, the payment status page shows what is known.