Latest Update (as of July 8, 2026): The most recent confirmed development from the official settlement site is an April 1, 2026 distribution status update, which reported that all failed digital payments and returned mail checks had been reissued as paper checks, with delivery expected by April 8, 2026. No newer status update has been posted on BottomsTextSettlement.com since then. Claimants who still haven’t received their $394.36 payment should email [email protected] or call 1-877-540-7545 to check the status of their specific check.
Last updated: July 2026
The Cash App spam text lawsuit settlement paid out $394.36 per person starting in February 2026, well above early estimates. If you received unsolicited referral texts from Cash App and live in Washington state, this case directly affects you.
Block Inc., the parent company of Cash App, agreed to a $12.5 million class action settlement to resolve claims it violated Washington law by sending unsolicited commercial text messages to users.
This guide covers everything: what happened, who qualified, how the money broke down, and what the settlement means going forward.
What Is the Cash App Spam Text Lawsuit Settlement?
The Cash App spam text lawsuit settlement is a $12.5 million agreement to end the class action case known as Bottoms v. Block, Inc., which alleged that Block violated Washington law by substantially assisting its users to transmit unsolicited commercial text messages through Cash App’s Invite Friends referral program.
A federal court on December 3, 2025 approved the settlement between Cash App parent Block and Washington consumers who received unsolicited text messages from the financial app over a nearly six-year period.
Block denies any wrongdoing and claims it has abided by all state and federal laws. As part of the settlement, Block does not admit to any wrongdoing and continues to deny the allegations against it.
| Key Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Bottoms v. Block Inc. |
| Case Number | 2:23-cv-01969-MJP |
| Court | U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington |
| Settlement Amount | $12.5 million |
| Final Court Approval | December 2, 2025 |
Understanding the Cash App Spam Texts Lawsuit
The case is officially known as Bottoms v. Block, Inc. The lead plaintiff, Kimberly Bottoms, received unsolicited text messages from Cash App’s Invite Friends feature and described them as “annoying and harassing spam texts, which are a nuisance.”
Bottoms filed the lawsuit in Washington state court in November 2023, arguing that Cash App violated state consumer protection laws. The legal basis for her claim centered on Washington’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA), which has strict rules about sending marketing messages.
Plaintiffs in the case said Cash App incentivized its users to send pre-filled text messages to their contacts without obtaining the recipients’ consent.
Key facts about what triggered the lawsuit:
- Cash App users clicked an “Invite Friends” button to select contacts
- The app then auto-generated a text message with a referral link
- Recipients never agreed to receive these promotional texts
- An example message read: “Hey! I’ve been using Cash App to send money and spend using the Cash Card. Try it using my code and you’ll get $5.”
- Referral texts did not tell recipients that someone had requested or sent them money using Cash App.
Who Qualifies for the Cash App Settlement?
You are a member of the Settlement Class if you (1) received a Cash App referral program text message between November 14, 2019 and August 7, 2025, (2) were a Washington resident at the time you received the text message, and (3) you did not clearly and affirmatively consent in advance to receive the Cash App referral program text message.
Think of it like a property line dispute. The rules are precise. If you were just outside the Washington border when the text arrived, the law doesn’t cover you, even if you’re a Washington resident who happened to be traveling.
| Eligibility Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| State of Residence | Washington state at time of text |
| Message Date Range | November 14, 2019 to August 7, 2025 |
| Consent Requirement | Must NOT have opted in to receive messages |
| Message Type | Cash App Invite Friends referral text only |
| Claim Deadline | October 27, 2025 (now passed) |
The settlement applies to people with Washington state telephone area codes who received the unwanted Cash App texts between November 2019 and August 2025.
Key Takeaway: Eligibility was strictly limited to Washington state residents who received unsolicited Cash App “Invite Friends” referral texts between 2019 and 2025 and never gave consent to receive them.
How Much Is the Cash App Settlement Payout Per Person?
The settlement administrator began issuing payments on February 2, 2026. The higher-than-expected payment amount resulted from fewer valid claims filed than anticipated. When claim volumes are lower in class action settlements, the per-person payout increases because the net settlement fund is divided among fewer recipients.
Only about 5% of the estimated 1,975,187 class members filed valid claims. This dramatically increased per-person payments from the estimated $88-$147 range to $394.36.
That’s the class action math that most people don’t realize going in. The fewer people who claim, the bigger each slice of pie. It’s a counterintuitive outcome, but it’s how these settlements work.
| Payout Phase | Amount |
|---|---|
| Original estimate (low end) | $88 per person |
| Original estimate (high end) | $147 per person |
| Actual payout (February 2026) | $394.36 per person |
| Total net fund for claimants | Approx. $8.7 million |
| Attorney fees deducted | $3.1 million |
| Class representative award | $10,000 (Kimberly Bottoms) |
Cash App Settlement Payment Date 2026
Payment distribution began on February 2, 2026. Claimants received payments through their elected method, including paper checks, Venmo, PayPal, or other electronic payment options they selected when filing their claim.
Claimants were expected to receive their payment sometime between February and June 2026, though exact timing would depend on the volume of claims being processed.
Payments were available via check, direct deposit, or Venmo following the final approval.
| Payment Timeline Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Settlement agreement reached | June 30, 2025 |
| Preliminary court approval | July 29, 2025 |
| Claim submission deadline | October 27, 2025 |
| Final approval hearing | December 2, 2025 |
| Payment distribution began | February 2, 2026 |
Key Takeaway: Payments started February 2, 2026, with claimants receiving $394.36 each, well above early projections, because only around 5% of eligible Washington residents filed a valid claim.
The Cash App $12.5 Million Settlement: Where Did the Money Go?
U.S. District Judge John Chun in Seattle deemed the settlement “fair, reasonable, and adequate and in the best interests of the Settlement Class” and dismissed the case. The judge awarded attorney fees of $3.1 million from the settlement, with the class representative awarded $10,000 for her work in the case.
Remaining class members who filed a claim by the October 27 deadline shared about $8.7 million.
The $12.5 million total didn’t all go to claimants. Here’s the breakdown:
| Fund Allocation | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total settlement fund | $12,500,000 |
| Attorney fees | $3,100,000 |
| Class representative (Kimberly Bottoms) | $10,000 |
| Settlement administration costs | Approx. $690,000 (est.) |
| Net fund distributed to claimants | Approx. $8,700,000 |
Block Inc. Cash App Lawsuit: Who Is Block Inc.?
Block Inc. is an electronic financial services company that operates Cash App. The company found itself at the center of a landmark legal dispute when its “Invite Friends” referral program, which offered $5 bonuses for new sign-ups, resulted in a flood of unwanted messages for thousands of Washington state residents.
Block is no stranger to legal scrutiny. In January 2025, it paid $255 million to the CFPB and states for lax oversight of Cash App transactions. A separate $15 million deal in 2024 addressed unauthorized data access by employees.
Block is one of fintech’s biggest players. The spam text case was just one piece of a larger pattern of regulatory and legal pressure the company has faced in recent years.
| Block Inc. Legal Actions | Amount/Outcome |
|---|---|
| Cash App spam text settlement | $12.5 million (2025) |
| CFPB/states oversight settlement | $255 million (January 2025) |
| Employee data access settlement | $15 million (2024) |
Bottoms v. Block Settlement: The Case That Started It All
Class representative Kimberly Bottoms filed the original lawsuit on November 21, 2023 in Washington State Superior Court. Block removed the case to federal court in the Western District of Washington on December 21, 2023.
On January 25, 2024, Block moved to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming the complaint failed to state a viable legal claim. Judge Marsha J. Pechman denied the motion on May 2, 2024, allowing the case to proceed through discovery.
Discovery revealed Block’s internal awareness of spam complaints, bolstering the plaintiffs’ case. Amid escalating costs, the parties negotiated, and on June 30, 2025, they announced a proposed $12.5 million settlement.
Key Takeaway: One Washington resident’s frustration with unwanted texts became a nearly two-year legal battle that secured nearly $400 for each person who filed a valid claim.
How Cash App’s Invite Friends Feature Sent Spam Texts
Cash App allowed users to click an “Invite Friends” button to select phone contacts to invite. Once a contact was selected, the user could then send a pre-generated text message from Cash App with the referral information and an individualized hyperlink for the recipient to create a Cash App account and also receive their referral credit.
To use the feature, a Cash App user had to give the app access to their contact list. The user would then click a button near a contact’s name to send them a solicitation text, through which the contact could create a Cash App account.
The problem was structural. The person sending the text may have pressed a button, but Cash App built the system, pre-filled the message, and routed the delivery. That’s where Block’s legal exposure came from.
- Users never typed these messages manually
- Cash App pulled contacts automatically from phone books
- Recipients had no way to opt out in advance
- The referral link was embedded and trackable
- Both the sender and the new user would receive a bonus payment as long as the new user met certain criteria.
Washington CEMA and the Cash App Case
According to the class action lawsuit, Cash App violated Washington’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) and the Washington Consumer Protection Act (CPA) by sending unsolicited text messages to users.
The Commercial Electronic Mail Act is a state-specific consumer protection law originally passed in 1998 to cut down on unwanted or misleading “spammy” emails. In 2003, the law was amended to include provisions restricting the transmission of unsolicited promotional text messages to Washington residents’ cell phones.
CEMA specifically states that companies are prohibited from sending promotional text messages unless the recipient has “clearly and affirmatively consented in advance to receive these text messages.”
| Law | Scope | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| CEMA (Washington) | State | Covers anyone who “assists” in sending spam texts |
| CPA (Washington) | State | Broad consumer protection, unfair business practices |
| TCPA (Federal) | National | Covers automated calls/texts; does NOT cover “assisters” |
The Cash App Referral Text Lawsuit: Legal Arguments
In a May 2024 motion to dismiss, Block argued that the court should use the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to determine whether Block’s involvement in sending the messages was “substantial.” The court ruled, however, that TCPA was inapplicable because it does not impose liability for assisting with a text message.
In contrast, CEMA does impose liability for assisting in the transmission of a message. Even if the company did not physically press the send button, CEMA doesn’t care.
That distinction is the backbone of this entire case. Under federal law, Block might have walked away clean. Under Washington’s stricter state law, being the platform that built and enabled the system was enough to be liable.
Key Takeaway: Washington’s CEMA law reaches further than federal TCPA rules. It covers anyone who “assists” in sending unsolicited texts, which is exactly why Block lost the motion to dismiss and eventually settled.
Cash App Settlement Eligibility: Washington State Residents
The settlement applies only to people in Washington because the claims are based on state law, not a nationwide rule. The lawsuit focused on violations of Washington’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act and Consumer Protection Act, which require companies to get clear permission before sending marketing texts.
To qualify for compensation, individuals must have received at least one unsolicited Cash App referral text and must have been residing in Washington state at the time the message was received. The settlement also requires that the recipient did not provide prior consent for receiving such communications.
This is a state-specific case. People in Oregon, California, or any other state who got the same texts had no claim here. CEMA only protects Washington residents, which is a significant limitation that many national coverage pieces glossed over.
Who Qualified:
- Washington residents at time of receiving text
- Received a Cash App “Invite Friends” referral message
- Did not give prior consent to receive that text
- Message was sent between November 14, 2019, and August 7, 2025
Who Did NOT Qualify:
- Residents of any state other than Washington
- Anyone who explicitly consented to Cash App marketing
- Cash App users who sent the referral texts (they were the senders, not recipients)
- Anyone whose text arrived outside the covered date range
Cash App Class Action Settlement 2025: Timeline of Events
The $12.5 million settlement in Bottoms v. Block Inc. resolved allegations that Cash App’s parent company Block Inc. violated Washington consumer protection laws by assisting users in sending unsolicited commercial text messages through the app’s referral program.
Here’s the full timeline from lawsuit filing through payment:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| November 21, 2023 | Kimberly Bottoms files lawsuit in Washington state court |
| December 21, 2023 | Block removes case to federal court |
| January 25, 2024 | Block files motion to dismiss |
| May 2, 2024 | Judge Pechman denies motion to dismiss |
| June 30, 2025 | Parties reach $12.5 million settlement agreement |
| July 29, 2025 | Court grants preliminary settlement approval |
| August 2025 | Settlement notices sent to class members |
| October 27, 2025 | Claim submission deadline |
| December 2, 2025 | Final approval granted by Judge John Chun |
| February 2, 2026 | Payment distribution begins |
How to File a Cash App Settlement Claim
The claim deadline for the Cash App spam text lawsuit settlement was October 27, 2025, and it has now passed. Filing is no longer possible for this settlement.
The court-approved website for the Cash App class action lawsuit settlement was BottomsTextSettlement.com. Claims could be filed online or via a printed PDF form returned by mail to the settlement administrator.
The settlement administrator’s mailing address was: Bottoms v. Block Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 2631, Baton Rouge, LA 70821. The phone number listed was 877-540-7545 and the email was [email protected]
For those who submitted a valid claim before the deadline, here’s what the process looked like:
- Phone number was matched to Block’s records of Invite Friends texts sent
- Washington residency at time of message was verified
- Absence of prior opt-in consent was confirmed
- Payment method chosen: check, Venmo, PayPal, or direct deposit
- Once claims were verified and approved, payments were distributed through the method indicated on the claim form.
Key Takeaway: The filing window closed October 27, 2025. Only those who submitted valid claims before that date are entitled to a payment of $394.36, which began distributing in February 2026.
Cash App Settlement Claim Deadline: What Happened After It Passed
The claim deadline of October 27, 2025 is gone. If you didn’t file, you are not eligible for a payment from this settlement.
Approximately 96% of class action settlement funds go unclaimed because affected individuals either miss deadlines, don’t realize they qualify, or dismiss the notices as scams. The Cash App settlement followed this pattern, with only about 5% of the estimated 1,975,187 class members filing valid claims.
That’s nearly 1.9 million people who got nothing. Some never saw the notice. Some thought it was spam (the irony is real). Others just forgot to act.
Class members who dismissed the email or postcard notices as potential scams missed out on nearly $400 in compensation.
If you missed this one, the best move is to stay alert for future settlements. Sign up for class action alert newsletters, and take every legitimate settlement notice seriously, even if it looks like junk mail at first glance.
Cash App Settlement Status Update: Where Things Stand in 2026
As of March 2026, the Cash App spam text lawsuit settlement is in the payment distribution phase.
The court granted final approval on December 2, 2025, clearing the way for payment distribution that began in early February 2026.
The entire cash app settlement process from approval to final payment distribution is estimated to take several months. Claimants should expect to receive their payment sometime between February and June 2026, though timing depends on the volume of claims being processed.
Current Settlement Status:
| Milestone | Status |
|---|---|
| Final Court Approval | Completed December 2, 2025 |
| Payment Distribution | Started February 2, 2026 |
| Claim Deadline | Passed October 27, 2025 |
| New Claims Accepted | No |
| Estimated Payment per Person | $394.36 |
| Payment Methods Available | Check, Venmo, PayPal, direct deposit |
If you filed a valid claim before the October 27, 2025 deadline and have not yet received payment, payments are expected to continue through mid-2026. Keep your contact and banking information current with the settlement administrator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cash App spam text lawsuit settlement?
The Cash App spam text lawsuit settlement is a $12.5 million agreement to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging that Block Inc. violated Washington law by substantially assisting its users to transmit unsolicited commercial text messages through Cash App’s Invite Friends referral program. A federal court granted final approval on December 2, 2025. The settlement covers Washington state residents who received these texts between November 14, 2019, and August 7, 2025.
Who qualifies for the Cash App spam text settlement?
You qualify if you received a Cash App referral program text message between November 14, 2019 and August 7, 2025, were a Washington state resident at the time, and did not clearly and affirmatively consent in advance to receive the message. Residents of other states are not covered by this settlement. The claim deadline was October 27, 2025.
How much money will I get from the Cash App settlement?
Claimants who filed valid claims received $394.36 per person, significantly higher than the original estimate of $88 to $147. The higher payout resulted from fewer than expected people filing valid claims, meaning the net fund was divided among fewer recipients. Only about 5% of the nearly two million eligible class members submitted a claim.
Has the Cash App settlement been paid out yet?
Yes. Payment distribution began on February 2, 2026, following final court approval on December 2, 2025. Payments are expected to continue between February and June 2026, depending on processing volume. Payment methods include check, Venmo, PayPal, and direct deposit.
What if I missed the Cash App settlement claim deadline?
If you missed the October 27, 2025 deadline, you are not eligible for a payment from this settlement. Approximately 96% of class action settlement funds go unclaimed because people miss deadlines, don’t realize they qualify, or dismiss notices as scams. The best step now is to watch for future settlements by signing up for class action alert services and taking all legitimate settlement notices seriously.
What This Settlement Means for Cash App Users and Everyone Else
The Cash App spam text settlement is about more than $394. It’s about what companies can and cannot do with your phone number.
The case sets a simple standard: companies can’t turn your phone into a billboard without your permission. Your number isn’t public property.
For businesses, the takeaway is clear: innovation can’t trump consent. Referral programs now demand strong safeguards, perhaps mandatory recipient previews or contact verification, and robust do-not-disturb lists.
For consumers, this case reinforces rights under laws like TCPA and CEMA: companies must secure explicit opt-in for marketing, and violations carry steep penalties.
If you received a qualifying text and filed your claim, your payment is on the way. If you missed it, watch your mail and inbox carefully for future settlements. These cases happen more often than most people realize, and the notices are easy to mistake for junk.
Stay informed. Act on legitimate notices. Your attention to the small print can be worth real money.
