VSL#3 probiotic false advertising settlement

If you bought the probiotic VSL#3 in the United States between June 1, 2016 and June 19, 2019, you may be eligible for a cash payment from a $20 million settlement. The lawsuit alleges the formulation sold in those years was not the one the clinical studies used to advertise it had actually tested; the defendants deny it and no court has decided who is right. Claims pay $20 per bottle or box — one unit per household with no proof of purchase at all, or up to 40 units and $800 if you can document the purchases, with every amount adjusted up or down depending on how many people claim. Claims close October 20, 2026 and filing on the official settlement site is free.

Official claim page

When the money moves

What the official materials say about the payment schedule for this settlement, and what the administrator has published since. Every figure below is linked to the page it was read from.

Status: Payments have not started

Expected

The parties have proposed that benefits be paid within 60 days of the settlement's effective date. The court is due to consider final approval on January 6, 2027, and the notice says the approval date is not known and distribution could be delayed.

Read off the official notice, in its own words. These dates slip — an appeal can move a distribution by a year or more — so treat it as the administrator's plan rather than a schedule.

Source: the official notice ↗

Facts from the official materials

Status: Open
Type: Class-action settlement
Category: Consumer products
Defendant / company: VSL Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Leadiant Biosciences, Inc. and Alfasigma USA, Inc.
Administrator: Angeion Group
Claim deadline: October 20, 2026
Eligibility period: June 1, 2016 – June 19, 2019
States: See official notice (often nationwide)
Proof: No proof mentioned for the basic option
Possible amount: About $20 (not guaranteed)
Source confidence: high
Last verified: September 14, 2026

Covered products and services

VSL#3 probiotic

David Starr, et al. v. VSL Pharmaceuticals, Inc., et al. · 8:19-cv-02173-LKG · U.S. District Court, District of Maryland

The fund is $20 million. Claims pay $20 per unit, a unit being one bottle or box, with bottles inside a multipack counted separately. With no proof of purchase you may claim one unit per household. With proof you may claim the greater of three units or the number you can document, up to 40 units or $800. Notice credentials mailed or emailed to class members count as proof, because class counsel obtained sales records from the defendants and certain retailers. Every figure is adjusted pro rata up or down depending on how many valid claims arrive, so none of it is a guaranteed amount.

Important dates

Claim deadline: October 20, 2026
Opt-out deadline: October 20, 2026
Fairness hearing: January 6, 2027

Eligibility questions

These questions help you decide whether to read the official notice. They are not a legal determination.

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