No, you do not need proof of purchase to file a claim in the ZOA Energy “0 Preservatives” class action settlement — but whether you have receipts dramatically changes how much money you can collect. Without any documentation, claimants are capped at $10 per household. With proof of purchase, that ceiling jumps to $150. That distinction matters, and it is the single most important detail anyone considering this settlement should understand. For someone who bought a case of ZOA every week for a year, the difference between digging up an old credit card statement and filing empty-handed is the difference between a meaningful payout and pocket change. The settlement stems from *Gershzon v. ZOA Energy, LLC*, Case No.
3:23-cv-5444-JD, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The $3 million fund covers U.S. residents who purchased any ZOA Energy drink labeled “0 Preservatives” for personal use between March 1, 2021 and November 21, 2025. The claims deadline was February 20, 2026, and has already passed — so if you did not file, that window is closed. But for those who did submit claims, the months ahead will determine what arrives in the mail.
Table of Contents
- What Proof Does the ZOA Energy Preservative Free Settlement Actually Require to Pay You?
- Why ZOA Energy Faced a $3 Million Lawsuit Over “0 Preservatives” Labeling
- Who Was Eligible and What the Purchase Window Covered
- How the $3 Million Settlement Fund Gets Divided Among Claimants
- The Claims Deadline Has Passed — What Happens Now
- ZOA’s Labeling Changes and What They Signal for Other Brands
- When to Expect Payment and How to Track Your Claim
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Proof Does the ZOA Energy Preservative Free Settlement Actually Require to Pay You?
The settlement created a two-tier system. If you submitted a claim with proof of purchase, you are eligible for $1 per can up to 150 cans, meaning a maximum of $150 per household. If you filed without proof, you still get $1 per can but are capped at 10 cans — a $10 maximum. The claims administrator does not reject you outright for lacking documentation. They simply slot you into the lower tier. This is a more generous structure than many consumer class actions, where no proof means no payment at all.
What counts as proof is reasonably broad. Receipts are the obvious choice, but the settlement also accepts order confirmations from online purchases, bank or credit card statements showing zoa transactions, removed UPC codes from cans, or any other documentation that reasonably establishes you bought the product. So if you ordered ZOA through Amazon or a grocery delivery service, your digital order history would qualify. A credit card statement showing a charge at a convenience store where you remember buying ZOA is murkier — it shows you shopped there, not necessarily what you bought — but the administrator has discretion to accept it. Here is a detail worth noting: if you submitted proof and the claims administrator rejected it, your claim was not thrown out. It was simply reclassified as a claim without proof, and you would still receive up to $10. That safety net means there was essentially no downside to submitting whatever documentation you had, even if you were not confident it would hold up.
Why ZOA Energy Faced a $3 Million Lawsuit Over “0 Preservatives” Labeling
The core allegation is straightforward. ZOA Energy drinks — the brand co-founded by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — carried “0 Preservatives” on their labels. The plaintiff argued that ZOA’s products actually contained citric acid and ascorbic acid, both of which are widely recognized as preservatives in the food and beverage industry. If you have ever read the ingredient list on canned or bottled drinks, you have seen citric acid listed constantly. It extends shelf life. That is what preservatives do.
ZOA’s defense is equally straightforward: the company says citric acid was included for flavoring and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) for nutritional purposes, not as preservatives. This is not an absurd argument — citric acid does add tartness, and ascorbic acid is genuinely a vitamin. Many ingredients serve dual purposes. However, the legal question was not whether these ingredients have non-preservative functions but whether labeling a product “0 Preservatives” is misleading when it contains ingredients that function as preservatives regardless of the manufacturer’s stated intent. ZOA denied all wrongdoing and admitted no liability as part of the settlement. This matters beyond ZOA because the “functional ingredient” defense is one that other beverage companies use. If a company adds an ingredient that happens to preserve freshness but claims it was added for taste or nutrition, does the “preservative-free” label hold up? This settlement suggests that at minimum, it creates enough legal risk that a $3 million payout was preferable to a trial.
Who Was Eligible and What the Purchase Window Covered
Eligibility extended to any U.S. resident who purchased a ZOA Energy drink labeled “0 Preservatives” for personal consumption — not for resale — between March 1, 2021 and November 21, 2025. That is a roughly four-and-a-half-year window, which is notably long. ZOA launched in early 2021, so the class period essentially covers the entire time the product has been on the market with the disputed labeling. The “personal consumption” requirement rules out retailers, distributors, or anyone who bought ZOA in bulk to resell.
But for the average person who grabbed a can at a gas station or ordered a pack from Amazon, the requirement is met. There is no minimum purchase quantity either. If you bought a single can of ZOA during that period, you technically qualified for $1 — though whether that dollar will survive the pro rata reduction process (more on that below) remains to be seen. One limitation worth flagging: the settlement covers only ZOA Energy drinks that carried the “0 Preservatives” label. If ZOA sold any product variants or formulations that did not include that claim on the label, purchases of those products would not count. For most consumers, this distinction is academic — the “0 Preservatives” claim was a prominent part of ZOA’s marketing across its product line — but it is technically a boundary on eligibility.
How the $3 Million Settlement Fund Gets Divided Among Claimants
The math on class action payouts is never as simple as “fund divided by claimants equals your check.” The $3 million gross fund first gets reduced by attorneys’ fees (typically up to a third in cases like this), the named plaintiff’s service award, settlement administration costs, and any other court-approved deductions. What remains is the net fund available for distribution. If the total value of approved claims exceeds the net fund, every claimant’s payment gets reduced proportionally. Say the net fund is $1.8 million after fees and costs, but approved claims total $3.6 million in value — everyone would receive roughly 50 cents on the dollar. Your $150 claim becomes $75, and a $10 claim becomes $5.
This is common in consumer class actions and is the reason actual checks often disappoint relative to the advertised maximums. Conversely, if claims come in lower than the net fund, payments could be higher than the base rate. The tradeoff for claimants who submitted proof versus those who did not becomes even starker under pro rata reduction. If payouts are cut by half, the person with proof still gets up to $75 while the person without proof gets at most $5. The gap does not close — it scales proportionally. This is why settlement administrators encourage proof submission: it does not just increase your individual ceiling, it also establishes the legitimacy and value of your claim in the distribution pool.
The Claims Deadline Has Passed — What Happens Now
The deadline to file a claim was February 20, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT. That date is gone. If you did not file, you cannot file now. There is no late submission process, no hardship exception, and no second chance window. This is one of the most common frustrations with class action settlements — by the time many consumers hear about them, the filing window has closed. The opt-out deadline also passed on February 13, 2026. If you did not opt out, and you purchased ZOA during the class period, you are bound by the settlement’s terms once it receives final approval.
That means you release your right to sue ZOA individually over the “0 Preservatives” labeling. For the vast majority of consumers, this release is meaningless as a practical matter — almost no one would pursue an individual lawsuit over energy drink labeling. But for anyone who suffered a specific, quantifiable harm beyond the typical consumer experience, the inability to opt out retroactively is a real limitation. The next milestone is the Final Approval Hearing, scheduled for March 26, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. PT before the court. At this hearing, the judge will review the settlement terms, consider any objections, and decide whether to grant final approval. Assuming no major objections or complications, approval is expected. Settlements that reach this stage are rarely rejected, though judges can and do require modifications.
ZOA’s Labeling Changes and What They Signal for Other Brands
As part of the settlement, ZOA Energy agreed to stop using “0 Preservatives” on labels when the product contains chemical preservatives. This means future ZOA products will either drop the preservative-free claim entirely or reformulate to remove citric acid and ascorbic acid — or at least the ingredients that trigger preservative classification. For consumers who care about accurate labeling, this is arguably the most meaningful outcome of the entire case, worth more than the per-can payouts.
This labeling concession also puts other beverage companies on notice. The “added for flavor, not preservation” argument did not save ZOA from a $3 million settlement, and plaintiffs’ attorneys in the food labeling space pay close attention to these outcomes. If you see other energy drink or supplement brands quietly updating their labels in 2026, this case is likely part of the reason.
When to Expect Payment and How to Track Your Claim
If the court grants final approval at the March 26, 2026 hearing and no appeals are filed, payments are expected within 90 days — putting the estimated payout timeline around July 2026. Appeals could delay this significantly, potentially by a year or more, though appeals in consumer class actions of this size are uncommon.
Claimants can check the status of their claims and the settlement’s progress through the official settlement website at www.ZOASettlement.com or by calling (833) 890-6436. If you filed a claim, hold onto any confirmation emails or reference numbers you received. These will be essential if there is any dispute about your submission or if you need to update your mailing address before checks are issued.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still file a claim for the ZOA Energy settlement?
No. The claims deadline was February 20, 2026 and has passed. There is no late filing option.
Do I need proof of purchase to get paid?
No, but it affects your payout. Without proof, you are limited to $10 per household. With proof, you can receive up to $150 per household.
What counts as proof of purchase?
Receipts, online order confirmations, bank or credit card statements, removed UPC codes from ZOA cans, or any documentation that reasonably establishes you purchased the product.
When will I receive my payment?
If the court grants final approval on March 26, 2026 and no appeals are filed, payments are expected within 90 days — approximately July 2026.
What happens if my proof of purchase is rejected?
Your claim is not thrown out. It is simply reclassified as a claim without proof, and you remain eligible for up to $10.
Which ZOA products are covered?
Any ZOA Energy drink that carried the “0 Preservatives” label, purchased for personal consumption between March 1, 2021 and November 21, 2025.
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