United Airlines Retiree Severance (Hoffman) Class Action Settlement
United Airlines Retiree Severance (Hoffman) Class Action Settlement
United Airlines agreed to pay $27.5 million to settle a class action by former employees who retired between August 17, 2017 and December 31, 2020 and were excluded from the cash severance offered under United's 2020 and 2021 Voluntary Separation Programs (VSP2, VSP3, and VSL) solely because they had already retired. The Court granted final approval on September 1, 2026. About 8,600 retirees are in the class, and there is nothing to file: the Settlement Administrator will calculate each class member's share on or around October 1, 2026 and mail checks automatically. The only action needed is to confirm the Administrator has your current mailing address.
Settlement fund
$27.5M
Common fund
Top payout
Automatic
Pro rata share by retirement group, no claim form
Claim deadline
No claim form
Checks mail automatically after Oct 1, 2026
No claim form needed
Checks are mailed automatically. Make sure the Settlement Administrator has your current address.
Do you qualify?
You are a Class Member if ALL of the following apply:
- You are a former United Airlines employee (frontline or management and administrative) who retired between August 17, 2017 and December 31, 2020.
- You were not eligible for United's Frontline Voluntary Separation Program 2 (VSP2, May 2020), Voluntary Separation Program 3 (VSP3, June 2020), and/or Voluntary Separation Leave Program (VSL, January 2021) for the sole reason that you retired before those programs were offered. This includes retirees who took no program, who retired under VSP1 (March 2020, no cash component), or who retired under VSP2 but missed the later VSL cash benefit.
- No claim form is required. Class members were identified from United's records and notified by the Settlement Administrator, and payments are mailed automatically.
- Excluded: Current United employees, and former employees who retired outside the August 17, 2017 to December 31, 2020 window or who were eligible for VSP2, VSP3, or VSL at the time those programs were offered. Because the class was certified as a non-opt-out class under Rule 23(b)(1) or (b)(2), no class member could exclude themselves.
Not sure if you qualify, or need to update your mailing address? Call the Settlement Administrator at 1-888-808-7073, email info@HoffmanSettlement.com, or visit HoffmanSettlement.com.
What happened
On August 17, 2017, then-United CEO Oscar Munoz announced that if United offered an early-out program within three years after an employee's retirement for which the retiree would have been eligible if still active, United would provide the retiree the cash benefits of that program. When the pandemic hit, United rolled out several voluntary separation programs in 2020 and 2021 (VSP2, VSP3, and VSL) with cash incentives, but did not extend those payments to employees who had already retired. Twelve former employees, led by Micheal (Susie) Hoffman, filed three class actions that were consolidated in the Northern District of Illinois, alleging that United's refusal violated ERISA and, alternatively, breached a contract under Illinois law. The Court dismissed the case in May 2025, Plaintiffs appealed, and the parties then reached a $27.5 million settlement, which the Court preliminarily approved in May 2026 and finally approved on September 1, 2026.
United and the plan defendants denied, and continue to deny, any liability, and asserted several defenses, including that the releases signed by employees who took VSP1 or VSP2 bar their claims. The Court did not rule in favor of either side on the merits. The parties agreed to settle to avoid the cost, delay, and uncertainty of an appeal and further litigation. Under the Court-approved Plan of Allocation, the net fund is divided pro rata according to each class member's maximum potential damages, which are based on the cash incentive of the program they missed, with a 20 percent reduction for retirees who signed releases under VSP1 or VSP2.
How to file a claim
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1. Confirm you are in the class
You are a class member if you retired from United between August 17, 2017 and December 31, 2020 and missed out on the cash benefits of VSP2, VSP3, or VSL only because you had already retired. United's records identified roughly 8,600 class members across three groups: Group A (about 4,290 people who retired without taking any program), Group B (about 3,976 who retired under VSP2 and were later VSL-eligible), and Group C (about 376 who retired under VSP1). If you received the class notice by mail or email, you are on the list.
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2. Understand how your share is calculated
Each class member's share is proportional to their maximum potential damages, which equal the cash incentive of the most valuable program they were eligible for but missed (VSL, VSP2(b), or VSP3). For Groups B and C, that figure is reduced by 20 percent because those retirees signed releases when they took VSP1 or VSP2. Because the net fund (after fees, expenses, incentive awards, and administration costs) is smaller than total alleged losses, each payment will be a fraction of the full incentive. You do not need to calculate anything; the Settlement Administrator does it from United's data.
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3. No claim form: confirm your address
There is nothing to file. Checks are mailed automatically to the address the Settlement Administrator has on record. If you have moved since you retired, or since you received the class notice, contact the Administrator now at 1-888-808-7073 or info@HoffmanSettlement.com so your check is not sent to an old address. The Settlement Agreement, Plan of Allocation, and Court orders are posted under Case Documents at HoffmanSettlement.com.
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4. Receive your check
The Court granted final approval on September 1, 2026. Class Counsel has said the Settlement Administrator will calculate each class member's allocation on or around October 1, 2026, and checks will begin mailing shortly after that calculation is complete, assuming no appeal is filed. Deposit your check promptly once it arrives. Questions about your payment go to the Settlement Administrator, not the Court.
Key dates
- Aug 12, 2026 Opt-out & objection deadline Passed
- None No claim form required (automatic payment) Automatic
- Sep 1, 2026 Final Fairness Hearing (11:00 a.m. CT, held in Chicago (final approval granted)) Passed
- TBD after final approval Payments issued to claimants Pending
The Fairness Hearing was held on September 1, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Central before Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. in Courtroom 2303 of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60604, and the Court granted final approval that day. The objection deadline of August 12, 2026 has passed, and no opt-out was available. Check HoffmanSettlement.com for payment timing updates.
Where the money is going
This is a $27.5 million common fund paid by United in a lump sum. Court-approved attorneys' fees and litigation expenses, Class Representative incentive awards, and settlement administration costs come out of the fund first, and the Net Settlement Amount is then allocated pro rata among the roughly 8,600 class members under the Court-approved Plan of Allocation. No claim is required and no money reverts to United based on participation.
Attorneys' fees, expenses, and incentive awards were considered by the Court at the September 1, 2026 Fairness Hearing; the final approved amounts are in the Court's order and may be less than the amounts requested. The estimate above assumes the maximum one-third fee request and does not deduct expenses, incentive awards, or administration costs. Individual payments are pro rata and will be less than each class member's maximum potential damages.
Common questions
How much money will I receive?
It depends on which group you fall into and how much the program you missed would have paid. Your share equals your maximum potential damages (the cash incentive under VSL, VSP2(b), or VSP3, whichever you were eligible for but missed) as a proportion of all class members' damages, applied to the Net Settlement Amount. Retirees who signed releases under VSP1 or VSP2 have their damages reduced by 20 percent before the calculation. Because the net fund is smaller than total alleged losses, each check will be a fraction of the full program incentive. The Settlement Administrator calculates every share from United's records; you do not need to do anything.
Do I need to submit proof of purchase?
No. There is no claim form and no documentation to submit. Class members were identified from United's employment and retirement records, and the Plan of Allocation is applied to that data. The only thing to verify is that the Settlement Administrator has your current mailing address so your check reaches you.
What if I didn’t receive a notice?
Notice was mailed and emailed to former employees identified in United's records as class members. If you retired from United between August 17, 2017 and December 31, 2020, missed the cash benefits of VSP2, VSP3, or VSL because you had already retired, and did not receive a notice, contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-888-808-7073 or info@HoffmanSettlement.com to confirm whether you are on the class list and to update your address before checks mail.
Does staying in the class affect my right to sue later?
Yes. This settlement was certified as a non-opt-out class under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(1) or (b)(2), so no class member could exclude themselves. All class members are bound by the final judgment and release United and the plan defendants from all claims that were or could have been asserted in the lawsuit relating to the Early Out Program promise and the VSP2, VSP3, and VSL cash benefits. The objection deadline was August 12, 2026 and has passed. The full release is in the Settlement Agreement posted at HoffmanSettlement.com.
When will payments be sent out?
The Court granted final approval on September 1, 2026. Class Counsel has said the Settlement Administrator will calculate each class member's allocation on or around October 1, 2026 and begin mailing checks shortly after, provided no appeal is filed. If an appeal is filed, payments are delayed until it is resolved. Checks are sent by U.S. mail to the address on file, so update your address with the Administrator now if you have moved.
Dapeer Law, P.A.
Consumer class action attorneys based in South Florida. We track settlements so you don’t have to.
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This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Dapeer Law, P.A. is not the administrator of this settlement and is not affiliated with United Airlines, Inc. and its 36-Month Supplemental Benefit Plan, Frontline Voluntary Separation Program 2, Frontline Voluntary Separation Leave Program, Consolidated Welfare Benefit Plan, and Retiree Medical Program, Verita (the Settlement Administrator), or Class Counsel Susan L. Meter of Kantor & Kantor, LLP, Civil Litigation Clinic of Chicago-Kent College of Law, Keller Rohrback L.L.P. of Class Counsel, and DeBofsky Law, Ltd. of Class Counsel. The case is Hoffman, et al. v. United Airlines, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-06395, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before the Honorable John J. Tharp, Jr.. Class representatives are Micheal (Susie) Hoffman, Estate of Margarett Roumain, Gregory Frank, Victor Yustman, Victoria Fellows, Maria Deglauve, Ron Ozaki, Ernest Hewson, Donna Loucks, Roxann Merlini, Jo Gawler, and Robert Kearney. United Airlines denies wrongdoing. This website is attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.