ANALYSIS: Settlement Integrity, Third-Party Filers Vex Courts

Class actions are big business. According to law firm Duane Morris’ most recent annual review of class action litigation in the US, plaintiffs filed more than 13,229 class action lawsuits in federal courts in 2025, and the cumulative value of the 10 largest settlements during 2025 was $79 billion.

That kind of money—especially in antitrust class actions involving thousands of nationwide class members—draws fraud. In addition to the fraudulent claims filed against settlement funds, administrators and courts deal with misleading advertising targeting class members confused by the claims process.

Two dockets show how the courts shepherding multi-district antitrust actions have ...