Payments in the ZOA Energy “0 Preservatives” class action settlement are calculated at a flat rate of $1.00 per can purchased, but the cap on your total payout depends entirely on whether you can produce receipts. Claimants who submit proof of purchase can collect up to $150 per household, while those filing without receipts are limited to just $10 per household. All payments are subject to pro-rata adjustment, meaning if the total value of approved claims exceeds the available settlement fund, everyone’s check gets reduced proportionally. The $3 million settlement resolves allegations in *Mikhail Gershzon v. ZOA Energy, LLC*, filed in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit, originally brought in October 2023, claimed that ZOA Energy drinks — the brand co-founded by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — were deceptively labeled “0 Preservatives” despite containing citric acid and ascorbic acid, ingredients plaintiffs argue function as chemical preservatives. ZOA denies any wrongdoing, maintaining those ingredients were included for flavoring and nutritional purposes, not preservation, and that its labeling was truthful and fully compliant with regulations. We also cover the pro-rata adjustment mechanism that could shrink your payment and what happens at the final approval hearing scheduled for March 26, 2026.
Table of Contents
- How Are Payments Calculated in the ZOA Energy Preservative Free Settlement?
- Who Is Eligible to File a Claim in the ZOA Energy Settlement?
- What Citric Acid and Ascorbic Acid Have to Do With the Lawsuit
- How to File Your Claim and What Documentation Helps
- How Pro-Rata Adjustments Could Reduce Your Payment
- What Happens at the Final Approval Hearing
- What the ZOA Settlement Signals for Beverage Labeling Claims
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Are Payments Calculated in the ZOA Energy Preservative Free Settlement?
The payment formula itself is straightforward: $1.00 per can of zoa Energy purchased during the class period, which runs from March 1, 2021, through November 21, 2025. That nearly five-year window covers a significant stretch of the brand’s commercial life. If you bought a 12-pack every month for two years, for example, you would be claiming 288 cans and $288 — but your actual payout would be capped at $150 if you have receipts, or $10 if you do not. The $150 versus $10 gap is the single most important distinction in this settlement. A household with receipts documenting heavy ZOA consumption can collect fifteen times more than one filing on memory alone.
That multiplier reflects a common structure in consumer class actions: courts and settling parties want to reward claimants who can actually prove their purchases while still allowing casual buyers to participate. If you regularly bought ZOA from a grocery store that offers digital receipts or a loyalty program purchase history, now is the time to pull those records. It is also worth noting that the $150 and $10 figures are per-household caps, not per-person. Two roommates who both bought ZOA independently cannot each file for $150 at the same address. The settlement administrator will flag duplicate household claims, and only one will be processed.
Who Is Eligible to File a Claim in the ZOA Energy Settlement?
Eligibility extends to all U.S. residents who purchased any ZOA Energy drink labeled “0 Preservatives” for personal consumption — not for resale — between March 1, 2021, and November 21, 2025. If you bought ZOA at a gas station, grocery store, gym, or online retailer during that window, you are likely a class member. However, if you purchased ZOA products specifically to resell them — say, as a convenience store owner stocking shelves — you do not qualify. There is a practical limitation worth flagging.
ZOA has produced various product lines and flavors over the years, but the settlement specifically targets cans that carried the “0 Preservatives” label. If a particular ZOA product you purchased did not bear that claim on its packaging, it falls outside the scope of this case. For most consumers who bought standard ZOA Energy cans during the class period, this distinction will not matter, since the “0 Preservatives” label appeared broadly across the product line. But if you purchased a ZOA product that used different labeling — perhaps a reformulated version or a line extension — you may want to check your packaging or the official settlement website at zoasettlement.com for clarification. One more wrinkle: opting out or objecting to the settlement required action by February 13, 2026. If you missed that deadline, you are bound by the settlement terms and cannot pursue separate legal action against ZOA over the same labeling claims.
What Citric Acid and Ascorbic Acid Have to Do With the Lawsuit
The core dispute in this case hinges on whether citric acid and ascorbic acid qualify as preservatives. Plaintiffs argued that both ingredients are well-documented chemical preservatives used across the food and beverage industry to extend shelf life. Citric acid lowers pH to inhibit microbial growth, while ascorbic acid (vitamin C) acts as an antioxidant that prevents oxidation and spoilage. From the plaintiffs’ perspective, labeling a product “0 Preservatives” while including these ingredients was misleading to consumers who relied on that claim when making purchasing decisions. ZOA Energy’s defense is not unusual in the food industry.
The company maintained that citric acid was included for its tart flavor profile — a common use in energy drinks and citrus-flavored beverages — and that ascorbic acid served a nutritional function as a source of vitamin C. Food manufacturers routinely use ingredients that serve dual purposes, and federal regulations do not always draw bright lines between an ingredient’s primary function and its secondary effects. ZOA contended its labeling was truthful and compliant with all applicable regulations. This dual-purpose ingredient question appears in consumer litigation frequently. A similar dynamic played out in cases involving “natural” labeling on products containing synthetic vitamins or preservatives. For consumers, the takeaway is that ingredient labels often tell a more complicated story than the marketing claims on the front of the package suggest.
How to File Your Claim and What Documentation Helps
Claims could be submitted online through the official settlement website at zoasettlement.com or mailed in with a postmark deadline of February 20, 2026. The online filing process typically takes a few minutes and asks for your contact information, an estimate of ZOA cans purchased, and any supporting documentation you can provide. If you are reading this before that deadline, filing online is faster and reduces the risk of mail delays. The tradeoff between filing with and without proof of purchase is stark, as outlined above.
If you have even partial documentation — a handful of grocery receipts, a credit card statement showing purchases at a retailer where you bought ZOA, or a loyalty program history — submit what you have. Partial proof is better than none, and it may support a claim closer to the $150 cap rather than the $10 cap. Some retailers like Amazon, Costco, and Target maintain digital purchase histories that go back years, making it relatively easy to pull records even for purchases made in 2021 or 2022. On the other hand, if you bought ZOA primarily with cash at convenience stores, you are unlikely to have documentation and will probably be limited to the $10 household maximum.
How Pro-Rata Adjustments Could Reduce Your Payment
The $3 million settlement fund is not exclusively dedicated to claim payments. That total must also cover attorneys’ fees and costs, notice and administration costs, and service awards to the class representatives. After those deductions, the remaining pool is what funds actual claim checks. If the aggregate value of all approved claims exceeds that remaining pool, every claimant’s payment gets reduced proportionally — a mechanism known as pro-rata adjustment. Here is a concrete example of how this works. Suppose after legal fees and administrative costs, $1.8 million remains for claimants.
If the total approved claims add up to $3.6 million, each claimant would receive roughly 50 cents on the dollar. A claimant expecting $150 would receive $75, and a no-receipt claimant expecting $10 would get $5. The severity of the reduction depends on how many people file claims, which is impossible to predict in advance. This is a genuine limitation of the settlement structure. In high-profile cases involving well-known brands — and ZOA’s association with Dwayne Johnson certainly raises its profile — claim rates tend to be higher than average. A larger-than-usual number of claimants competing for a fixed fund means smaller individual payments. There is no mechanism for claimants to challenge the pro-rata reduction; it is baked into the settlement terms approved by the court.
What Happens at the Final Approval Hearing
The final approval hearing is scheduled for March 26, 2026, at the San Francisco Courthouse in Courtroom 11. At this hearing, the judge will review the settlement terms, consider any objections filed by class members, and decide whether to grant final approval. If the court approves the settlement, claim processing and payments will follow — though the timeline for actual checks being mailed can vary from weeks to several months after final approval.
If the judge raises concerns or if significant objections were filed before the February 13, 2026, deadline, the hearing could result in modifications to the settlement terms or, in rare cases, rejection of the deal entirely. For most claimants who have already filed, the practical step is simply to wait. Keep your contact information current with the settlement administrator so your payment reaches you.
What the ZOA Settlement Signals for Beverage Labeling Claims
The ZOA case fits into a broader wave of litigation targeting health and wellness claims on food and beverage products. Courts have increasingly been willing to certify classes in cases where front-of-package marketing arguably contradicts the technical reality of a product’s ingredient list. For energy drink manufacturers in particular, claims about being “natural,” “preservative-free,” or “clean” are drawing legal scrutiny.
For consumers, these settlements serve as both compensation and a market signal. Brands are paying attention to the financial and reputational costs of labeling disputes, and some are already reformulating or revising their packaging language. Whether the ZOA case leads to changes in how citric acid and ascorbic acid are disclosed on energy drink labels remains to be seen, but the $3 million price tag adds to the growing body of precedent that aggressive health claims on packaging carry real litigation risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money will I get from the ZOA Energy settlement?
You will receive $1.00 per can purchased, capped at $150 per household with proof of purchase or $10 per household without receipts. These amounts may be reduced proportionally if total approved claims exceed the available settlement fund.
Do I need receipts to file a claim?
No, you can file without proof of purchase, but your maximum payout drops from $150 to $10 per household. If you have any documentation — digital receipts, loyalty program records, or credit card statements — submit them to support a higher claim.
What ZOA products are covered by this settlement?
Any ZOA Energy drink labeled “0 Preservatives” purchased for personal consumption in the United States between March 1, 2021, and November 21, 2025.
When will settlement checks be mailed?
The final approval hearing is scheduled for March 26, 2026. If the court approves the settlement, payments will be processed afterward, but the exact timeline depends on how quickly the administrator can review and finalize claims.
Can I still file a claim?
The claim submission deadline was February 20, 2026. If you missed this date, you are no longer able to submit a claim for payment.
Does filing a claim mean I cannot sue ZOA separately?
If you did not opt out of the settlement by February 13, 2026, you are bound by its terms and release your right to pursue separate legal action against ZOA over the same “0 Preservatives” labeling claims.