FirstAlerts

FTC Distributing $23.8 Million to Grubhub Drivers and Customers Under Settlement

Payments to 640,038 consumers stem from a December 2024 lawsuit by the FTC and the Illinois Attorney General over driver-earnings claims, account restrictions and restaurant listings.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 12, 2026, 8:18 p.m. ET
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More on this incident

The Federal Trade Commission is distributing $23.8 million to 640,038 consumers, including Grubhub drivers and customers, according to TechCrunch. The payments stem from a lawsuit that the FTC and the Illinois Attorney General filed against the food delivery company in federal district court in December 2024. The complaint accused Grubhub of making misleading claims about how much drivers could earn, of restricting customers' access to their accounts and money, and of listing restaurants on its platform without permission, TechCrunch reported. The complaint alleged that Grubhub had as many as 325,000 unaffiliated restaurants listed in order to make its platform appear larger, and that the company sometimes refused to remove restaurants that asked to be taken off, instead allegedly trying to convince some of them to enter paid partnerships. The matter was resolved by , according to TechCrunch, with the settlement also requiring Grubhub to change its practices around advertising driver earnings, account restrictions and restaurant listings. The allegations in the complaint are allegations; no further findings beyond the resolution are described in the available record. The distribution is ongoing and this account is based on a single report. Further details, including any statement from Grubhub, are not available in the facts on hand.

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Revision history

  1. Version 314 Aug 2026, 06:51current

    Added Yahoo Finance reporting on payment method (mailed check and PayPal) and its account of the required practice changes, including restaurant consent before listing.

  2. Version 213 Aug 2026, 12:58

    Added JD Journal reporting on the $25 million payment, the mostly suspended $140 million judgment, and the broader fee-disclosure, subscription-cancellation and driver-earnings allegations.

  3. Version 113 Aug 2026, 00:59current

    First published.

  4. Version 113 Aug 2026, 00:18current

    First published.

  5. Version 113 Aug 2026, 00:25

    First published.

  6. Version 113 Aug 2026, 00:59current

    First published.

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