A California-only settlement over a dog joint supplement drew more than a million claims — 1,092,841 of them — and the administrator has now run every one through a fraud screen whose results the court has sealed. That volume is the main reason nobody can yet say what a valid Cosequin claim will be worth, and the judge still had not granted final approval to the $11.5 million Nutramax settlement as of the last docket entry on September 1, 2026.
Status: Awaiting final approval | Claim deadline passed July 21, 2026 | No payment date | $25 per unit, up to $150 per household
The Claim Count, Broken Down
Epiq Class Action and Claims Solutions, the court-appointed administrator, reported its totals as of August 27, 2026:
| Online claim forms | 1,091,650 |
| Paper claim forms | 1,191 |
| Total | 1,092,841 |
| Objections | None |
| Opt-outs | None |
The count is striking given how narrow the class is. The settlement covers only California residents who bought Cosequin dog products between May 3, 2016 and May 6, 2022, and no receipt was required to file. Almost every claim came in online.
What the Fraud Review Did
Epiq screened the claims against 15 fraud categories and denied those showing significant signs of fraud. How many were denied is not public: the filing that reports it is redacted. The court allowed parts of Epiq’s supplemental declaration to be filed under seal, finding that publishing the details of its fraud-detection methods could help bad actors get around them.
An earlier filing, dated July 13, 2026, offers the only public sense of scale. It said that even if roughly 60% of the claims were thrown out as fraudulent, more than 200,000 valid claims would remain.
Why the Judge Has Not Ruled
The case is Lytle v. Nutramax Laboratories, Inc., No. 5:19-cv-00835-FMO-SP, before Judge Fernando M. Olguin in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The plaintiffs allege Nutramax falsely marketed its Cosequin dog joint supplements. Nutramax denies the allegations and has not admitted wrongdoing.
Judge Olguin held the final approval hearing on August 13, 2026 but did not rule that day. He asked two things of the parties first:
- Side agreements. He asked whether the plaintiffs, class counsel or Nutramax had made any other agreements connected to the settlement. Class counsel said there were none and filed a declaration saying so, under the federal rule requiring parties to identify side agreements made in connection with a class settlement.
- A final claim count and claims rate. This came from Epiq in the supplemental declaration described above, together with its fraud review results.
Once those declarations were in, the motions were to be treated as submitted. The docket since then:
| August 13, 2026 | Final approval hearing; no ruling from the bench. |
| August 28, 2026 | Class counsel’s declaration on side agreements and Epiq’s supplemental declaration filed, with a request to seal parts of it. |
| August 31, 2026 | Court grants the request to file portions under seal. |
| September 1, 2026 | Sealed version filed. No final approval order or final judgment as of this entry. |
How Much a Valid Claim Could Pay
The settlement values a valid claim at $25 per unit, with a cap of $150 per household — so a household reaches the cap at six units. Those figures are not guaranteed. The fund first pays attorneys’ fees, costs and service awards, and if the valid claims add up to more than what remains of the $11.5 million, every payment is reduced proportionally.
Whether that reduction happens, and by how much, depends on the number of validated claims — the very number that is sealed. Until it is disclosed or a distribution is announced, per-claim amounts cannot be calculated.
When Money Could Arrive
No payment date has been set. Under the settlement agreement, payments go out 30 days after the Final Effective Date. That date comes only after the court grants final approval and the time to appeal runs out, or any appeal is resolved. Neither step had happened as of September 1, 2026.
The claim deadline was July 21, 2026, and the opt-out and objection deadlines were June 22, 2026, so there is nothing further for class members to file. Updates will appear on the official Cosequin California settlement website. Our sister site covers eligibility and benefit details on its Cosequin settlement page and tracks the approval on its Cosequin final approval status report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has the Cosequin settlement received final approval?
Not as of the latest docket entry on September 1, 2026. Judge Fernando M. Olguin held the hearing on August 13, 2026 but did not rule, and asked for declarations on side agreements and the final claim count first. Those were filed August 28.
How many Cosequin claims were filed?
Epiq reported 1,092,841 claim forms as of August 27, 2026: 1,091,650 online and 1,191 on paper. Claims with significant signs of fraud were denied, and the number denied is sealed.
Why is part of the administrator’s filing sealed?
The court found that publishing the details of Epiq’s fraud-detection methods could help bad actors get around them, so it allowed those portions of the declaration to be filed under seal.
Will I get the full $25 per unit?
Not necessarily. Valid claims are worth $25 per unit up to $150 per household, but if total valid claims exceed what remains of the $11.5 million fund after fees, costs and service awards, every payment is reduced proportionally. The validated claim count has not been made public.
When will Cosequin payments be sent?
No date has been set. Payments are due 30 days after the Final Effective Date, which requires final approval and the end of the appeal period.
Can I still file a Cosequin claim?
No. The claim deadline was July 21, 2026, and the opt-out and objection deadlines were June 22, 2026.
Sources
- Plaintiffs’ Supplement in Support of Final Approval, ECF No. 230, Lytle v. Nutramax Laboratories, Inc., No. 5:19-cv-00835-FMO-SP (C.D. Cal. Aug. 28, 2026).
- Plaintiffs’ Unopposed Application for Leave to File Under Seal, ECF No. 228 (C.D. Cal. Aug. 28, 2026).
- Order Granting Application to File Under Seal, ECF No. 231 (C.D. Cal. Aug. 31, 2026).
- Official settlement website — CosequinCASettlement.com.
- OpenClassActions.com — Cosequin Settlement Draws 1.09 Million Claims as Final Approval Remains Pending.
Source and credit: this report builds on our sister site’s coverage — OpenClassActions.com: Cosequin Settlement Draws 1.09 Million Claims — Final Approval Still Pending — which follows the case and is updated as new filings, orders and payment news come in.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. OpenClassActions.org is a consumer news site, not a law firm and not the settlement administrator, and is not affiliated with any party to the case described. The allegations are allegations; unless a court has ruled, the defendants deny wrongdoing and no court has decided the merits. Deadlines, benefit amounts and payment timing can change as the court and the administrator act, so confirm current status on the official settlement website. You never need to pay anyone to file a claim or to receive a settlement payment.