I would like to sign up to be part of this claim, but I am concerned about how much it will cost me.
There will be no cost to you in joining the claim. Austen Hays will represent you on a ‘no win no fee’ basis. The costs of the case, and the risks associated with it, are taken by Austen Hays and any insurers and third party funders. This ensures that you can sign up without worrying about the cost of joining the claim. The claim costs would come out of any payout that is secured from the defendant. You are guaranteed at least 70% of the amount awarded to you and Austen Hays’ and funder costs are capped at 30%. Even if the claim is unsuccessful, there will be no cost to you, provided that you fulfil your obligations set out in the documents that you are required to read and agree to, as part of the sign-up process.
Is this claim being brought on behalf of a group? What does that mean for me?
Collective actions, also known as class or group actions, bring together claimants to pursue a single legal claim or claims that can be grouped together for the court to manage collectively. You may be familiar with some of the large-scale collective actions in the UK. For example, the VW diesel emissions collective action was successfully pursued by the Austen Hays litigators securing a positive outcome for over 70,000 claimants. Other high-profile UK collective actions that you may have heard of include the collective action to recover credit card fees, a claim against BT in respect of landline fees, and the recent sub-postmaster collective action. This means that your claim is not going to be dealt with individually by the court; instead, the court will consider the issues that all claimants are pursuing collectively.
You are asking me to submit personal information to take part in this claim. I am concerned about how secure my data is.
To comply with UK money laundering and ‘know your client’ requirements, as solicitors we need to confirm your identity to engage you as a client. Our AH Hub is linked to a market-leading application called ID-Pal, which is ISO 27001 Certified, GDPR compliant, award winning (Merchant Anti-Fraud Solution of the Year 2020; Best Customer Facing Experience 2023), and five-star customer rated. After your identity has been verified, ID-Pal will delete all documents uploaded by you from the app, and you can also delete it from your phone. Your ID will be on our claimant portal and only accessible by the Austen Hays team. These documents are to ensure we can act on your behalf and form part of client onboarding.
How long does it take to join the claim?
Joining the claim is straightforward.
Step 1: Complete the questionnaire to see if you are eligible
Step 2: Submit your ID documents via a secure email link to the ID-Pal app. This is needed to protect against fraudsters, particularly if there is a compensation payment which is made in due course.
Step 3: Register on our claimant portal to receive updates and documents from us
Step 4: Review and sign the engagement letter
Please note, you have not joined the claim until you have completed the 4 steps above.
Will my involvement in the claim be made public?
The High Court has granted an anonymity application for all claimants in our claim against Grindr, ensuring they will all remain anonymous, and their data will be protected throughout the legal proceedings. If you join the claim, your identity will be completely hidden from the public and the Court record. The only exception to this applies to six claimants who voluntarily choose to set aside their anonymity. This is because the claims process requires six claimants to be appointed to a Claimant Committee and their details cannot be anonymous. The role of the Claimant Committee is to make decisions on behalf of the entire claimant group. Joining the committee is voluntary, so those individuals’ details will not be shared unless they clearly agree.
How long does it take for a collective action to be resolved?
This varies depending on the behaviour of the defendant and how quickly the court can manage the different stages. In some cases, it can take up to five years. The Austen Hays team are experienced in managing the process to make it as efficient as possible and will keep you informed throughout the process.
Why should I choose Austen Hays?
Austen Hays supports claimants where there has been an injustice and claimants have suffered a detriment. We do not represent defendants in collective action cases and always work with claimants who have potentially been wronged, to help them try to secure the compensation which they deserve.
I know other people that have been affected by this claim. Can I talk to them about it?
Yes, if you know people who may be eligible to join the claim, please let them know as we want to help as many people as possible who may have been affected by Grindr’s actions.
I have been having issues signing up to the claim, how can I contact Austen Hays?
You can send any queries to enquiries@austenhays.com, or call +44 (0) 121 202 1457, where our team will strive to answer all your questions.
