On July 7, 2026, the Court preliminarily approved a Settlement in the Litigation between Plaintiff, on behalf of himself and the Settlement Class, and Defendant. This approval and the Notice are not an expression of opinion by the Court as to the merits of any of the claims or defenses asserted by any party to the Litigation, or of whether the Court will ultimately approve the Settlement Agreement.

In settlement of all claims alleged in the Litigation, Defendant has agreed to pay Sixteen Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($16,500,000.00) in cash (“Gross Settlement Fund”). In exchange for this payment and other consideration outlined in the Settlement Agreement, the Settlement Class shall release the Released Claims (as defined in the Settlement Agreement) against the Released Parties (as defined in the Settlement Agreement). The Gross Settlement Fund, less Plaintiff’s Attorneys’ Fees and Litigation Expenses and Administration, Notice, and Distribution Costs, Case Contribution Award, and any other costs approved by the Court, and the gross amount of money under the Initial Plan of Allocation attributable to Class Members who timely and properly submitted Requests for Exclusion or who were otherwise excluded from the Settlement Class by order of the Court (the “Net Settlement Fund”), will be distributed to final Class Members pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement also includes Future Benefits for the Settlement Class.

Class Counsel intends to seek an award of Plaintiff’s Attorneys’ Fees of not more than 40% of the Gross Settlement Fund. Class Counsel Randy C. Smith of Randy C. Smith, PLLC has been litigating this case without any payment whatsoever, advancing thousands of dollars in expenses. At the Final Fairness Hearing, Plaintiff’s Counsel will also seek reimbursement of the litigation and administration expenses incurred in connection with the prosecution of this Litigation and that will be incurred through final distribution of the Settlement, which is estimated to be approximately $450,000.00. In addition, Plaintiff intends to seek a case contribution award for his representation of the Class, which amount will not exceed two percent (2%) of the Gross Settlement Fund, to compensate Plaintiff for his time, expense, risk, and burden as serving as Class Representative.

The Court must approve the Allocation Methodology, which describes how the Settlement Administrator will allocate the Net Settlement Fund. The Net Settlement Fund will be distributed by the Settlement Administrator after the Effective Date of the Settlement. The Effective Date requires the exhaustion of any appeals, which may take a year or more after the entry of Judgment. The Settlement may be terminated on several grounds, including if the Court does not approve or materially modifies the terms of the Settlement. If the Settlement is terminated, the Litigation will proceed as if the Settlement had not been reached.

The Notice does not and cannot set out all the terms of the Settlement Agreement. This website includes the Notice, the Settlement Agreement, the Complaint, and the Preliminary Approval Order, and will later include the Plan of Allocation and Plaintiff’s Counsel’s application for fees, costs, and the Case Contribution Award. You may also receive information about the progress of the Settlement by visiting the Home page or by contacting the Settlement Administrator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

For More Information

Welcome to the Patton v Trinity Settlement website.

Questions? Contact Us.