The class action lawsuit the nine named plaintiffs in the preliminary resolution approved by a federal judge in Milwaukee this month will see any money – up to $1,000 each.
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This news may come as a shock because you probably never took the time to measure it, but “footlong” and “6-inch” sandwiches from the chain Subway have not historically been their entire length. Back in 2013, customers in different states filed class actions alleging that the sandwiches usually measure 11 to 11.5 inches. While most customers and many sandwich artists would say “close enough,” some consumers were unable to roll with 11.5-inch and 5.75-inch sandwiches.
This is the same class action that’s been working its way through the legal system since 2013. This case combined seven separate ones, which were filed amidst a lot of public backlash in 2012 over sandwich lengths.
It was originally estimated that Subway’s shorter-than-advertised sandwiches meant that each customer was being shortchanged roughly 45¢, according to lawyers, at least one of whom hired a private investigator to visit 14 Subway locations and collect evidence. In the recent settlement, however, the plaintiffs receive…
…no monetary awards. Instead, Subway countered with the reassurance that the next time they purchase a Footlong sandwich it will be a full foot long and will not come up short.
Subway actually changed its bread-baking procedures after the original 2013 class action. The lawsuit settlement formalizes those changes, which include making “measuring tools” available to store employees, mandating that the twelve-inch requirement be part of all training materials for new franchisees and employees, and making bread measurements part of the company’s restaurant inspections.
Franchises caught selling undersized bread risk punishment, which could include having their right to run an officially licensed Subway restaurant taken away for this crime against sandwiches.