If you came to Frontier from Verizon and still had Verizon shares in your Frontier 401(k) between December 2012 and April 2018, you are part of a $14.05 million settlement that pays without a claim form. Postcard notices went out on October 9, 2026. The only form in the case is optional: former employees who no longer have a Frontier plan account can use it by December 8, 2026 to roll their share into an IRA instead of receiving a check.
Status: Preliminarily approved, pending final approval | No claim form — payment is automatic | Rollover Form and objections due December 8, 2026 | Share of $14,050,000
How Verizon Stock Ended Up in a Frontier Plan
The case is Reidt v. Frontier Communications Corp., No. 3:18-cv-01538, filed September 11, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. According to the complaint, Verizon spun off its local landline business in predominantly rural areas of 14 states in 2010, and that business merged with Frontier. Verizon management employees who became Frontier employees brought their savings-plan accounts along, and those accounts were merged into the Frontier plan by the end of 2011. A second deal that closed April 1, 2016 moved Verizon’s wireline operations in California, Texas and Florida to Frontier and, the complaint says, transferred more Verizon savings-plan assets in.
The complaint alleges that the fiduciaries let the plan become overly concentrated in Verizon common stock, mainly through the Verizon Stock Fund — more than 13% of total plan holdings at the end of 2016 — in breach of ERISA duties including the duty to diversify. The defendants deny all claims and admit no wrongdoing. They say the fund was monitored, was open only to legacy Verizon employees, and that legacy stock funds are not uncommon after spin-offs and mergers. The settlement website says the Verizon Stock Fund was removed from the plan in April 2018. The court has not ruled on the merits.
Who Is in the Class
The class is participants in and beneficiaries of the Frontier Communications 401(k) Savings Plan, plus alternate payees under a qualified domestic relations order, at any time from December 12, 2012 through April 30, 2018, whose accounts included Verizon common stock, including the Verizon Stock Fund. The settlement website describes the participants as vested participants. Frontier employees who never held Verizon stock in the plan are not in the class. The defendants, their immediate families, and the legal representatives, successors and assigns of anyone excluded are left out. Bloomberg Law, citing the preliminary approval motion, reported about 10,000 people in the class.
What Comes Off the Top
Frontier Communications Corporation and the Retirement Investment & Administration Committee agreed to pay $14,050,000 under an agreement dated July 10, 2026. Before distribution, the fund pays:
- Attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses for Class Counsel, Bailey & Glasser LLP and Izard, Kindall & Raabe, LLP, in an amount the court has not yet set.
- A case contribution award of up to $25,000 for the named plaintiff.
- Settlement administration costs.
- Fees and costs of the Independent Fiduciary.
- Taxes and tax-related costs of the fund.
The rest is divided under a court-approved Plan of Allocation. Each class member’s share is based on their investment in the Verizon Stock Fund during the class period, which the court called a fair proxy for the harm alleged. The administrator, Rust Consulting, Inc., calculates each amount from the recordkeeper’s data. The website says individual amounts cannot be estimated yet, and no average has been published.
Deposit or Check, and the Rollover Option
| Still have a plan account with a positive balance | The share is deposited into that account. |
| No plan account | A check is mailed, unless you submit a Rollover Form by December 8, 2026 for a direct rollover to an IRA or another eligible employer plan. |
The postcard notice carries a Claimant ID and Access Code, but they are used only for the online Rollover Form. That form changes how the Frontier 401(k) settlement payment is delivered, not whether it is made. The notice explains that rollovers and checks are treated differently for tax withholding. If you have no postcard and want a rollover, contact Rust Consulting through the official settlement website; a missing postcard does not remove you from the class.
The Schedule
| On or before November 8, 2026 | Class Counsel’s fee, expense and final approval motions due. |
| December 8, 2026 | Rollover Form deadline; objections filed or postmarked. |
| December 24, 2026 | Notice of intent to appear and speak at the hearing. |
| January 7, 2027, 10:00 a.m. | Final approval hearing in Hartford, Connecticut, before Judge Robert N. Chatigny. |
The official sources give no timezone. The preliminary approval order of August 18, 2026 first set the hearing for December 10, 2026; after a motion filed September 24, 2026 and an order the next day, the settlement website now lists January 7, 2027. The hearing may be held in person, by phone or by video and can be moved without further mailed notice.
Objecting Instead of Opting Out
The class was certified under Rule 23(b)(1). The order describes a right to object but no process to exclude yourself. An objection goes to the Clerk of Court with copies to Class Counsel and Defense Counsel, filed or postmarked by December 8, 2026, and must give the case name and number, your name and contact details, the grounds with any supporting documents, any lawyer representing you, and your signature.
Payments go out only if the court grants final approval; no distribution date had been announced as of October 15, 2026. The notice, FAQ and contact page are on the official settlement website, and the filings are on the court docket. Our sister site follows the hearing on its Frontier 401(k) Verizon stock settlement page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to file a claim in the Frontier 401(k) settlement?
No. Class members are identified from the plan recordkeeper’s records and paid automatically if the court grants final approval. The only optional step is the Rollover Form for former participants without a plan account.
Who qualifies?
Participants, beneficiaries and QDRO alternate payees of the Frontier Communications 401(k) Savings Plan from December 12, 2012 through April 30, 2018 whose accounts included Verizon common stock, including the Verizon Stock Fund.
How much will I receive?
Individual amounts cannot be estimated yet. Each share is based on your investment in the Verizon Stock Fund during the class period, after court-approved fees, a case contribution award of up to $25,000, administration, Independent Fiduciary costs and taxes.
How do I choose a rollover?
Submit the Rollover Form on the settlement website by December 8, 2026 using the Claimant ID and Access Code from your postcard notice. It applies only to former participants who no longer have a plan account.
Can I opt out?
The class was certified under Rule 23(b)(1) and the order provides a right to object but no way to exclude yourself. Objections are due December 8, 2026.
When is the final approval hearing?
January 7, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. in Hartford, Connecticut, according to the official settlement website. It was originally set for December 10, 2026.
Sources
- Official settlement website, FAQ and Rollover Form page — FrontierERISASettlement.com, administered by Rust Consulting, Inc.
- Court docket, Reidt v. Frontier Communications Corp., No. 3:18-cv-01538 (D. Conn.), including the Order Granting Preliminary Approval (ECF No. 199, August 18, 2026) — CourtListener.
- Class action complaint, ECF No. 1, filed September 11, 2018.
- Bloomberg Law report on the settlement and preliminary approval motion (July 2026).
- OpenClassActions.com — Frontier Communications 401(k) Verizon Stock Settlement.
Source and credit: the settlement terms, deadlines and benefit details described above are drawn from our sister site’s reporting — OpenClassActions.com: Frontier Communications 401(k) Verizon Stock Settlement — which tracks this case against the court-approved notice and the official settlement website and is updated as the court rules.
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.