Carvalho v. HP Inc., Frequently Asked Questions

You may have received a Notice because HP’s records indicate that you may be included as a Settlement Class Member in a proposed Settlement of a class action lawsuit against HP and eligible to receive a cash benefit. 

A federal Court authorized a Notice to let you know about the proposed Settlement. You have legal rights and options that you may act on before the Court decides whether to approve the proposed Settlement. This Notice explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, and your legal rights.

Honorable P. Casey Pitts of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is overseeing the class action lawsuit and proposed Settlement. The case is entitled Carvalho, et al. v. HP, Inc., Case No. 5:21-cv-08015-PCP. The people who sued (in this case, Rodney Carvalho and Mark Maher) are called the Plaintiffs. The company they sued, HP, Inc. (“HP”), is called the Defendant.

In a class action, one or more people called “Settlement Class Representatives” (in this case, Rodney Carvalho and Mark Maher) sue on behalf of people who they believe have similar claims against the same defendant or defendants. All of the people who the Settlement Class Representatives believe have similar claims are called the “Settlement Class” or “Settlement Class Members.” The attorneys representing the Settlement Class are called “Settlement Class Counsel.” In a class action, the Court resolves the issues for all Settlement Class Members, except for those who exclude themselves or “opt out” of the Settlement Class. 

The Settlement Class Representatives in this lawsuit allege, among other things, that HP advertised allegedly misleading discounts for products sold on its website, HP.com, and that as a result, people who purchased products on HP’s website were purportedly induced to pay more than they would have otherwise chosen to pay.

HP maintains that it did nothing wrong and asserts numerous defenses to the allegations and claims in this case. The proposed Settlement is not an admission of guilt or any wrongdoing of any kind by HP, nor is it an admission by HP of the truth of any of the allegations in the lawsuit.

The Court has not decided the case in favor of the Class or HP. Instead, the Settlement Class Representatives and HP have agreed to a settlement. The Settlement is a compromise, whereby both the parties avoid the cost, burden, and uncertainty of a trial. The Settlement Class Representatives and their attorneys think the proposed Settlement is best for all Settlement Class Members. 

The Settlement Class includes all individuals in the United States who purchased “Settlement Class Products” at a discount on HP’s website from June 5, 2021, through October 28, 2024, which is called the “Settlement Class Period.” The Settlement Class Products consist of HP desktop computers, laptops, mice, and keyboards, that were offered on sale more than 75% of the time the products were offered for sale during the Settlement Class Period. A list of the Settlement Class Products is provided in the answer to Question 9 below.

You are excluded from the Settlement Class if any of the following apply to you:

• You are an employee of HP or a member of the immediate family of an employee of HP; 
• You are a judicial officer presiding over the Action or a member of the immediate family or judicial staff of a judicial officer presiding over the action; 
• You timely and validly requested to be excluded from the Settlement; or
• You are an attorney representing any party to the lawsuit, or an employee who works for one of the attorney’s law firms. 

Additionally, if you purchased more than two of the same Settlement Class Products in the same order, that purchase will not be eligible for a cash benefit. 

If you received a Notice via email or mail about the Settlement, you may be a Settlement Class Member.

If you are still not sure whether you are included in the Class, you can write to the Settlement Administrator at Carvalho, et al. v. HP Inc. c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391 New York, NY 10150-5391 for more information. You may also write or call Settlement Class Counsel. The contact information for Settlement Class Counsel is provided in the answer to Question 16 below.

As part of the Settlement, HP has agreed to contribute $4 million to a Settlement Fund. The Settlement Fund will be used to pay cash benefits to Settlement Class Members (described below), the costs of administering the Settlement, services awards to the Settlement Class Representatives, and attorneys’ fees and costs to Settlement Class Counsel. The costs of administering the Settlement, the service awards to the Settlement Class Representatives, and the attorneys’ fees and costs to Settlement Class Counsel, as authorized by the Court, will be deducted from the Settlement Fund before the balance is distributed to the Settlement Class Members.

If you are an eligible Settlement Class Member and submit a valid claim, you may be entitled to a cash benefit ranging from $10 to $100, depending on the specific Settlement Class Product(s) you purchased. The estimated cash benefits corresponding to each Settlement Class Product are shown in the answer to Question 9 below. 

If, after all Notice and Administration Costs, any Settlement Class Representative Service Awards, and any attorneys’ fees and costs are paid, the total claimed cash benefits exceed the remaining Settlement Funds, the cash benefits will be reduced pro rata, and your individual payment amount will decrease. Conversely, if the total claimed cash benefits are less than the remaining Settlement Funds, the cash benefits will be increased pro rata, and your individual payment amount will increase.

The Settlement Class Products and estimated cash benefits are shown below: 

*Please note that the cash benefit amounts will be adjusted (either upward or downward) on a pro rata basis if the total valid claims submitted by eligible Settlement Class Members are either less than or exceed the Settlement Fund minus any Notice and Administration Costs, Settlement Class Representative Service Awards, and Settlement Class Counsel Attorneys’ Fees and Costs Award.

To receive a cash benefit, you must submit a Claim Form here, or by requesting that a physical Claim Form be mailed to you by contacting the Settlement Administrator:

Carvalho, et al. v. HP, Inc.

Kroll Settlement Administration LLC

P.O. Box 225391

New York, NY 10150-5391

All Claim Forms must be submitted online or postmarked no later than June 9, 2025. To be valid, a Claim Form must properly identify the following:

• Your name, current mailing address, email address, and telephone number. 
• The unique Class Member ID found in the email Notice or Short Form Notice that was sent to you; and
• If you wish to be paid by ACH transfer, your bank account information.

If you did not receive an email Notice or Short Form Notice with a unique Class Member ID, you must provide the Settlement Class Product number, Settlement Class Product name, date of purchase, quantity purchased, and the Order Number associated with your purchase. The Settlement Administrator will use that information to determine if you are a Settlement Class Member and eligible to receive a cash benefit. 

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on August 21, 2025, at 10:00 AM PT, to decide whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. If the Court grants final approval of the Settlement, cash benefits will begin to be distributed soon thereafter. If there are objections, the Court will consider them. If there are objections, it may take some time to resolve them. If there is an appeal, the cash benefits will not be distributed to the Settlement Class until if and when any appeal is favorably resolved. 

Please note the date and time of the Final Approval Hearing is subject to change without further notice to the Settlement Class. Please regularly check the Settlement Website, www.HPsettlement.com, or the Court’s PACER site to confirm that the date has not been changed.

If you exclude yourself or “opt out” of the Settlement, you will not be entitled to receive any cash benefit from the Settlement. However, you will not be bound by any orders and judgments of the Court with respect to the lawsuit or the Settlement. You may be able to separately sue or be part of another lawsuit against HP and related entities for the same claims that are being resolved by the Settlement.

To opt out of the Settlement, you must send a letter with all of the following information:

1. Your full name and address;
2. The case name, Carvalho, et al. v. HP, Inc., Case No. 5:21-cv-08015-PCP;
3. A clear statement that you wish to opt out of the Settlement Class (such as “I wish to be excluded from the Class”); and
4. Your signature.

You must mail your opt-out request no later than June 9, 2025 to: 

Carvalho, et al. v. HP, Inc.

Kroll Settlement Administration LLC

P.O. Box 225391

New York, NY 10150-5391

You cannot exclude yourself via phone, fax, or email.

No. If you opt out, you are telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement Class in this Settlement and you give up any right to receive a cash benefit from the Settlement. You can only get a cash benefit if you remain in the Settlement Class. See the answer to Question 10 above.

No. Unless you opt out, you are giving up the right to sue HP and related entities for the alleged claims being resolved by this Settlement. 

Yes. The Court appointed attorneys Daniel Rozenblatt of EDGE, A Professional Law Corporation, and Cody Padgett of Capstone Law APC to represent you and other members of the Class. These attorneys are called “Settlement Class Counsel.” In addition, the Court appointed Rodney Carvalho and Mark Maher to serve as the Settlement Class Representatives. They are Settlement Class Members like you. You may contact Settlement Class Counsel at Capstone Law APC, 1875 Century Park East, Suite 1000, Los Angeles, California 90067, or by email at [email protected].

Class Counsel may ask the Court for a Settlement Class Counsel Attorneys’ Fees and Costs Award, not to exceed $1,000,000 and Settlement Class Representative Service Awards not to exceed $5,000 per Settlement Class Representative. Settlement Class Counsel will request both the attorneys’ fees and costs and service awards at the Final Approval Hearing, and the Court will determine the amounts to be awarded. The Court may award less than the amounts requested, and any money not awarded from these requests will stay in the Settlement Fund and be distributed to the Settlement Class. 

If you are in the Settlement Class, you are not required to hire your own lawyer because Settlement Class Counsel is working on your behalf. However, if you want your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense. For example, you can hire a lawyer to appear in Court for you if you want someone other than Settlement Class Counsel to speak on your behalf. 

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you can ask the Court to deny approval of the proposed Settlement by filing an objection. You can’t ask the Court to order a different settlement; the Court can only approve or reject the Settlement. If the Court denies approval, no cash benefits will be sent out to the Settlement Class Members, and the lawsuit will continue. If that is what you want to happen, you should object. You can also object to Settlement Class Counsel’s requests for attorneys’ fees and costs and/or to the service awards requested by the Settlement Class Representatives. 

Any objection to the proposed settlement must be in writing. If you file a timely written objection, you may, but are not required to, appear at the Final Approval Hearing, either in person or through your own attorney. If you appear through your own attorney, you are responsible for hiring and paying that attorney. All written objections and supporting papers must (a) clearly identify the case name and number (Carvalho et al. v. HP, Inc., Case No. 5:21-cv-08015-PCP), (b) be submitted to the Court either by filing them electronically or in person at any location of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California or by mailing them to the Class Action Clerk, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 280 South 1st Street, Room 2112, San Jose, CA 95113, and (c) be filed or postmarked on or before June 9, 2025.

Objecting is simply telling the Court that you object to something in the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Settlement Class (i.e., you don’t opt out of the Settlement). Opting out is telling the Court that you don’t want to be part of the Settlement Class. If you opt out, you cannot object because the Settlement no longer affects you

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on August 21, 2025, at 10:00 AM PT, at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Courthouse, Courtroom 8, 4th Floor, 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. At the hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement, the service awards to the Settlement Class Representatives, and Settlement Class Counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees and costs. If the Court grants final approval of the Settlement, cash benefits will begin to be distributed soon thereafter. If there are objections, the Court will consider them. The Court may elect to move the Final Approval Hearing to a different date or time in its sole discretion, without providing further notice to the Class. You should check this website or the Court’s PACER site (https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov) to confirm the date and time has not been changed. 

No. Settlement Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. However, you are welcome to attend at your own expense. If you send an objection, you do not have to come to Court to talk about it. As long as you mail your written objection on time and meet the other criteria described above (see answer to Question 19), the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but it is not required.

Yes, if you object to the Settlement and have not excluded yourself from the Class, you may ask the Court for permission to speak at the Final Approval Hearing. You can also have your own lawyer speak for you, but you will have to pay for the lawyer yourself.

Unless you exclude yourself or “opt out” of the Settlement Class, you will remain in the Settlement Class. If the Settlement is approved and becomes final, all of the Court’s orders will apply to you and legally bind you. You will give up any rights to sue HP separately for the same claims that are part of the Settlement, and you will not be able to be part of any other lawsuit against HP that is related to the subject matter of the claims being released in the Settlement Agreement. To review a copy of the Settlement Agreement, please visit the Document section.

This Settlement Website is only intended to provide a summary of the proposed Settlement. For the precise terms of the Settlement or to change your address, please visit the Document section, where you will find a copy of the Settlement Agreement and other documents related to the Settlement. You may also call contact the Settlement Administrator by calling (833) 421-7705, emailing [email protected], visit the Contact section or writing to:

Carvalho, et al. v. HP, Inc.

Kroll Settlement Administration LLC

P.O. Box 225391

New York, NY 10150-5391

You may also contact Settlement Class Counsel, whose contact information is listed under Question 16 above.

You may also access the Court docket in this case through the Court’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov, or by visiting the Office of the Clerk of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 280 South 1st Street, Room 2112, San Jose, CA 95113, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays. For reference, the case Carvalho, et al. v. HP, Inc., Case. No. 5:21-cv-8015-PCP.