LA judge gives final approval to $7.4 million consumer lawsuit accord

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - A judge today gave final approval of a $7.4 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit in which the plaintiff contended that store receipts from Monrovia-based Trader Joe's Co. allegedly printed the first six and last four digits of customers' credit cards at potential risk to identity security.  

Federal law allows businesses to print only up to the last five digits. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elaine Lu signed an order approving the accord on Monday.

Lu noted that just four class member objections were filed and none challenged the adequacy of the settlement itself.   

"The court notes that out of a large class, the number of objections is miniscule, reflecting the class' overwhelmingly positive response,'' Lu wrote, adding that she found the resolution to be "fair, adequate and reasonable."

Palm Beach, Florida, resident and class representative Brian Keim filed the long-running lawsuit in October 2019, citing concerns about identity theft. He stated in a sworn declaration that he spent more than the recorded 48 1/2 hours working on the case and that meetings and communications over seven years were done through videos, phone calls, text messages and emails.