You have a right to know about a proposed Settlement of a class action lawsuit, and about your options, before the Court decides whether to approve the Settlement.

The Court in charge of this case is the United States District Court for the Central District of California (the “Court”), and the case is called Gifford et al., v. Pets Global Inc., Case No. 2:21-CV-02136-CJC-MRW. The individuals who sued, Paul Gifford, Mary Lou Molina, and Randy Miland are called the Plaintiffs and the company they sued, Pets Global, is called the Defendant.

Plaintiffs claim that certain pet food products manufactured or produced by Pets Global and marketed or labeled as “grain free” or “chicken free,” were actually determined through third party testing to contain grain and chicken. Pets Global denies these allegations and believes that it has valid defenses to these claims.

In a class action, one or more people called Class Representatives (in this case Plaintiffs Paul Gifford, Mary Lou Molina, and Randy Miland) sue on behalf of people who have similar claims. All these people are a class or class members. Bringing a case, such as this one, as a class action allows adjudication of many similar claims of persons and entities that might be economically too small to bring in individual actions. One court resolves the issues for all class members, except for those who exclude themselves from the class.

Pets Global denies that it did anything wrong. Both sides, with the assistance of an experienced mediator, Honorable Wayne R. Anderson, have agreed to the Settlement. Both sides want to avoid the cost of further litigation. The Court has not decided in favor of the Class Representatives or the Defendant. The Class Representatives and their attorneys think the Settlement is in the best interests of the Class and is fair, reasonable, and adequate. The Defendant has denied, and continues to deny all allegations made by Plaintiffs in the original complaint and amended complaint.

The Class consists of all individuals in the United States who purchased certain Zignature pet food Products marketed or labeled as “Grain Free” or “Chicken Free” for personal, family or household use, and not for resale, from June 2, 2017 through June 24, 2022 (the “Class Period”). A complete list of the Products included in the Settlement is included in Question 6.

Excluded from the Class are jurists, mediators, Plaintiffs’ or Defense counsel and their employees, legal representatives, heirs, successors, assigns, or any members of their immediate family; any government entity; Pets Global, any entity in which Pets Global has a controlling interest, any of Pets Global’s subsidiaries, parents, affiliates, and officers, directors, employees, legal representatives, heirs, successors, or assigns, or any members of their immediate family.

The Products included in the Settlement consist of:

If you are not sure whether you are a Class Member, or have any other questions about the Settlement, you should email the Settlement Administrator at info@PGPetFoodSettlement.com or call  toll-free at 1-877-379-5993.

The Settlement provides injunctive relief, monetary relief, and auditing of suppliers.

Injunctive Relief: Pets Global agrees to revise Product labels and marketing references so that any Product label that makes a “chicken free” and “grain free” claim no longer contains those representations. Pets Global will be able to sell all of the Product it has currently manufactured as of the Final Approval Order that contains these representations.

Monetary Relief: Settlement Class Members who provide Proof of Purchase may be entitled to recover up to ten dollars ($10.00) for each purchase of a Product made by the Class Member during the Class Period and may make up to ten (10) Claims for a maximum of one hundred dollars ($100.00). A cap of $100 shall exist per Household. Settlement Class Members who do not provide Proof of Purchase may be entitled to recover a maximum total Settlement Benefit of five dollars ($5.00) for purchases of a Product made by the Class Member. Class Members may make a claim based on Proofs of Purchase (with a cap of $100), or may make a claim based on no Proofs of Purchase (with a cap of $5), but may not do both.

Auditing of Suppliers: Pets Global agreed to audit all of the manufacturing plants of suppliers for a period of 5 years following the Court’s Final Approval Order. The audits of Pets Global’s suppliers will happen at least once a year and include the following: the visual inspection of all manufacturing machines that process, store, or otherwise come into contact with the petfood manufactured within said facility and purchased by Pets Global, an audit of the manufacturer’s manufacturing process and sourcing records, to confirm the accuracy of the ingredients being used in Pets Global’s products, and ensuring that all of the manufacturing processes used by the manufacturing plant adhere to quality control standards.

As described above, Class Members who timely submit a valid approved claim are entitled to receive Settlement compensation as outlined below.

(1) With Proof of Purchase: Class Members who submit valid claims with Proof of Purchase may be entitled to up to ten dollars ($10.00) for each purchase during the Class Period, up to 10 products per household for a maximum benefit of $100.

(2) Without Proof of Purchase: Class Members who submit a claim without Proof of Purchase may be entitled to a total settlement benefit of five dollars ($5.00).

To be eligible to receive a payment from the Settlement, you must complete and submit a timely Claim Form. The Claim Form can be submitted online here or by writing or emailing the Settlement Administrator at the address listed below. All Claim Forms must be submitted online or postmarked by December 21, 2022.

Gifford v Pets Global
c/o JND Legal Administration
P.O. Box 91430
Seattle, WA 98111

If you do not submit a valid Claim Form by December 21, 2022, you will not receive a payment, but you will be bound by the Court’s judgment.

Payments will be made to Class Members who submitted a valid and timely Claim Form.

Payments were issued in this matter on August 16, 2024, via the payment method selected during the claim filing process. If you elected for payment by check, please allow 2 weeks for delivery and cash prior to October 15, 2024. If you elected for payment by Venmo, please accept your payment before September 15, 2024.

If you are a Class Member, unless you exclude yourself from the Settlement, you cannot sue Pets Global, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against Pets Global about the claims released in this Settlement. It also means that all the decisions by the Court will bind you. The Released Claims and Released Parties are defined in the Settlement Agreement and describe the legal claims that you give up if you stay in the Settlement. The Released Claims do not include any claim against the Released Parties for personal injury allegedly arising out of use of the Products. The Settlement Agreement is available here.

If you didn't want a payment from the Settlement or you wanted to keep the right to sue or continue to sue Pets Global on your own about the claims released in this Settlement, then you must have excluded yourself by October 31, 2022.

No. Unless you excluded yourself, you gave up any right to sue Pets Global for the claims that this Settlement resolves. If you have a pending lawsuit, speak to your lawyer in that lawsuit immediately. You must have excluded yourself from this Settlement by the October 31, 2022 deadline to continue your own lawsuit. If you properly excluded yourself from the Settlement, you will not be bound by any orders or judgments relating to the Settlement.

No. You will not get any money from the Settlement if you excluded yourself. If you excluded yourself from the Settlement, do not send in a Claim Form asking for benefits.

No. The Court has appointed Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips & Grossman, PPLC as Class Counsel. You will not be charged for these lawyers. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel will file a motion seeking a fee award not to exceed $875,000, as well as Class Representative service awards in the amount of $5,000 for each of the three named Class Representatives. Any attorney fee award or service award is ultimately determined by the Court.

Important Update: Following the December 12, 2022 Hearing, the Court Granted in Part the Motion for Attorneys' Fees. 

Any Class Member who did not timely and properly Opt-Out of the Settlement may have objected to the fairness, reasonableness, or adequacy of the proposed Settlement under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23. Objections must have been submitted to the Settlement Administrator (not just postmarked or sent) by October 31, 2022.

Objecting is simply telling the Court that you don’t like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement. Excluding yourself from the Settlement is telling the Court that you don’t want to be part of the Settlement. If you exclude yourself from the Settlement, you have no basis to object to the Settlement because it no longer affects you.

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on November 21, 2022 at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse, 411 West Fourth Street, Courtroom 9B, Santa Ana, CA, 92701-4516.

After the hearing, the Court will consider whether to approve the Settlement, Class Counsel’s attorneys’ fees and expenses (in an amount to be approved by the Court, but not to exceed $875,000), and Class Representative service awards (in the amount of $5,000 per named Class Representative). We do not know how long these decisions will take.

Important Update: Following the December 12, 2022 Hearing, the Court granted final approval to the settlement. Copies of the Court's Orders are available on the Important Documents page. 

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions that the Court may have, but you may come at your own expense. If you submit an objection, you don’t have to come to Court to talk about it. As long as you filed and served your written objection on time to the proper addresses, the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but it’s not necessary.

Important Update: Following the December 12, 2022 Hearing, the Court granted final approval to the settlement. Copies of the Court's Orders are available on the Important Documents page. 

Yes. You may ask the Court for permission to speak at the Final Approval Hearing. To do so, you must send a letter saying that it is your “Notice of Intention to Appear.” Your request must include your name, address, and telephone number, as well as the name, address, and telephone number of the person that will appear your behalf, as well as copies of any papers, exhibits, or other evidence that you or your counsel will present to the Court in connection with the Final Approval Hearing. Your request must be filed with the Clerk of the Court and served upon Class Counsel and the Settling Defendant’s Counsel at the addresses below on or before October 31, 2022.

If you do not provide a Notice of Intention to Appear in complete accordance with the deadline and specifications provided above, you will not be allowed to speak or otherwise present any views at the Final Approval Hearing.

Important Update: Following the December 12, 2022 Hearing, the Court granted final approval to the settlement. Copies of the Court's Orders are available on the Important Documents page. 

If you do nothing, you will not get a payment from the Settlement. Unless you excluded yourself, you won’t be able to start a lawsuit, continue with a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Pets Global about the legal issues in this case, ever again.

Check and Venmo payments were issued on August 16, 2024. 

For eligible claims, who elected for a Venmo payment, payment were sent using the information provided on the submitted claim form. Payments issued via Venmo must be accepted by September 15, 2024.

For eligible claims, who elected for a check payment, please allow 2 weeks for delivery. If you have not received your payment by August 30, 2024, please send us an email requesting a check reissue, including your name, current mailing address, and former mailing address for verification purposes.

Class Members who timely submitted a valid approved claim received Settlement compensation as outlined below:

(1) With Proof of Purchase: Class Members who submitted valid claims with Proof of Purchase were entitled to up to ten dollars ($10.00) for each purchase during the Class Period, up to 10 products per household for a maximum benefit of $100. 

(2) Without Proof of Purchase: Class Members who submitted a claim without Proof of Purchase were entitled to a total settlement benefit of five dollars ($5.00).

To request a check payment reissue, please send us an email or letter requesting a check reissue, including your name, current mailing address, and former mailing address for verification purposes. Only complete reissue requests submitted prior to the October 15, 2024 deadline will be fulfilled. Once requested, please allow 4 weeks for processing and delivery.

Venmo payments were issued on August 16, 2024, and are valid to be claimed until September 15, 2024. We may not reissue payments that have been sent out by Venmo until after September 15, 2024. If you wish to have your Venmo payment reissued by check, please send us an email or letter requesting a reissue, including your name, current mailing address, and former mailing address for verification purposes.

This notice summarizes the proposed Settlement. More details are in the Settlement Agreement, available Settlement Agreement, available here . If you have additional questions you can contact the Settlement Administrator:

Gifford v Pets Global
c/o JND Legal Administration
P.O. Box 91430
Seattle, WA 98111
info@PGPetFoodSettlement.com
1-877-379-5993