Universal Home Video Settlement

Welcome to the Official Website for the

Higgins v. Universal City Studios Settlement,

 Case No. BC499180

If You Are a Profit Participant on a Motion Picture Released by Universal City Studios for Home Video or Electronic Sell-Through, You May Financially Benefit from a Class Action Settlement 

UPDATE: Checks are expected to distribute on April 27th, 2016. It is too late to submit a claim to participate in the settlement. If you received a notice in the mail, you did not need submit a claim.

A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit over how Universal City Studios LLC (“Universal”) calculated profit participation relating to revenue derived from the sale of Home Videos (e.g. physical copies such as videocassettes, DVDs, and Blu-Ray) and Electronic Sell-Through (e.g. digital copies delivered for permanent download such as iTunes or Amazon) on certain motion pictures.

You may be a Class Member if you are a person or entity (or their successors-in-interest, assigns, and heirs) who is a party to a profit participation contract with Universal dated on or before December 31, 2014 that does not include an express provision regarding the calculation of participation relating to Home Video and Electronic Sell-Through Revenue.  

This Settlement provides Class Members with a: (1) $13 million Settlement Fund, which will be used to pay recouped profit participants who are already receiving profit participation on their contracts; and, (2) $13 million Accounting Relief Fund, which will be used to credit the accounts of unrecouped profit participants who are not yet receiving profit participations on their contracts. You may receive benefits from either or both of these funds if you qualify. 

You have to take action on or before November 12, 2015 in order to exercise your legal rights and options in the Settlement, which are set forth in the Notice. Please click here to read the Notice carefully. Your legal rights may be affected, whether you act or don’t act.

Summary of Your Legal Rights and Options in the Settlement

Remain Part of the Settlement Class
  • If you received this Notice in the mail and you are part of the Settlement Class, you do not have to take any action to remain part of the Settlement Class and be eligible to receive the benefits, payments and credits offered by the Settlement.  Payments and credits will be applied to eligible Class Members automatically if you are part of the Settlement.

Become Part of the Settlement Class
  • If you did not receive this Notice in the mail and you believe that you may be a Class Member, you can contact the Settlement Administrator and apply to take part in the Settlement by visiting www.UniversalHVSettlement.com or calling  1-877-319-9141 TOLL-FREE.

Exclude Yourself

  • Excluding yourself means you get no payment or credits from this Settlement.
  • This is the only option that allows you to keep any rights you currently have to negotiate with or sue Universal about the claims in this case.
  • See Questions 14–16 in the Notice.

Object to this Settlement
  • If you do not exclude yourself, you may write to the Court about why you don’t like this Settlement.  See Questions 19–20 in the Notice.

Go to the Hearing
  • Ask to speak in Court about your opinion of this Settlement.

 

Please Note the Following Important Dates:

Deadline to Opt-Out: November 12, 2015

Deadline to Object: November 12, 2015

Deadline to Submit Claim if You Did Not Receive Notice in the Mail: November 12, 2015

Final Approval Hearing: December 11, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.

 Check Distribution: April 27, 2016