Consumer Telemarketing

Farmers Insurance TCPA Do-Not-Call Class Action Settlement

Settlement Amount
Up to $160 per claim

Claim Deadline
September 14, 2026

Total Fund
$1.25 Million

A $1,250,000 class action settlement resolves claims that Farmers insurance agents placed telemarketing calls and texts to numbers on the National Do-Not-Call Registry. If you received a class notice, you may claim a pro rata cash payment up to $160 with no proof of losses required. The claim deadline is September 14, 2026.

Do I Qualify?

The court-defined Settlement Class covers all persons who, from April 19, 2020 through June 15, 2026, received two or more text messages or phone calls in a 12-month period from agents Nickolas Ward, Nate Esparza, Kyle Ryan Gray, Dustin Huffman, Jason Hall, Brian Shirey, or LeNard Rhone (or their agencies) in connection with marketing Farmers insurance products or services; whose phone number had been registered on the National Do-Not-Call Registry for more than 30 days when the calls were received; and whose phone number is registered to an individual rather than a business. In addition, a class member's cellular phone number must appear on a specific list of numbers that was produced during the litigation. If you received a notice in the mail or by email with a Claimant ID and information about this settlement, your number is on that list and you are a class member.

Excluded from the Settlement Class are Farmers Insurance Exchange, Farmers Insurance Company, Inc., Fire Insurance Exchange, the individual agent defendants and their agencies, their officers and employees and immediate family members, class counsel, and members of the Missouri judiciary. Beyond class membership, there is an important certification requirement: to receive a payment, you must certify on the claim form that you did not visit any website to request a Farmers insurance quote before receiving the calls or texts, and that you were not a Farmers customer at the time of the calls or within 18 months before receiving them. This certification is intended to screen out individuals who may have consented to marketing contact by requesting a quote. If you do not meet this certification, you are not eligible for a payment even if your number is on the class list.

File your claim through the official settlement website before September 14, 2026.

File Your Claim →

What Happened?

A $1,250,000 class action settlement has been reached in Heckathorn v. Farmers Insurance Exchange, et al., Case No. 26SL-CC03879, pending in Division 17 of the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Missouri. The lawsuit alleged that a group of independent insurance agents — Nickolas Ward, Nate Esparza, Kyle Ryan Gray, Dustin Huffman, Jason Hall, Brian Shirey, and LeNard Rhone, along with their agencies — placed telemarketing calls and text messages to consumers whose phone numbers were listed on the National Do-Not-Call Registry while marketing Farmers insurance products and services. Under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. § 227, it is unlawful to make more than one unsolicited telemarketing call or text to a number registered on the Do-Not-Call Registry within a 12-month period. The plaintiff, Heckathorn, alleged that the defendants' marketing campaigns systematically ignored Do-Not-Call registrations, subjecting consumers to repeated unwanted contact.

The defendants in the case include the Farmers entities — Farmers Insurance Exchange, Farmers Insurance Company, Inc., and Fire Insurance Exchange (collectively "Farmers") — as well as the individual agents and their agencies whose calling practices are alleged to be at the center of the dispute. Farmers and the agent defendants deny all claims in the lawsuit and do not admit that they violated any law. They agreed to settle to avoid the substantial costs, distractions, and uncertainty of continued litigation. A Missouri court certified a settlement class and authorized notice to the approximately 12,545 individuals whose phone numbers appeared on lists produced during discovery that match the class criteria.

The settlement fund of $1,250,000 will be used to pay all valid claims from class members, administrative expenses, court-approved attorneys' fees and costs, and any service award to the named plaintiff. Class members who file a timely, valid claim will receive a pro rata share of the net fund — up to a maximum of $160 per person — after those deductions. The final per-claimant amount depends on how many people file valid claims, so it may be less than $160. The settlement administrator is Atticus Administration. The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled for September 23, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. at the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Division 17, 105 S. Central Avenue, Clayton, Missouri.

How to File Your Claim

Locate the Claimant ID printed on the postcard notice or emailed notice you received about this settlement. You need it to file online.
Visit the official settlement website at HeckathornTCPASettlement.com and click "Claim Form Login."
Enter your Claimant ID to access and complete the claim form. You must certify that you did not request a Farmers insurance quote online before the calls or texts, and that you were not a Farmers customer at the time of the calls or within 18 months beforehand.
Alternatively, sign and mail the paper Claim Form included with the postcard notice you received, or email your signed Claim Form to the settlement administrator. Instructions for mail and email submission are provided in the notice.
Submit your claim online, by email, or postmark your mailed form by September 14, 2026. The exclusion and objection deadline is August 27, 2026.

How Much Will I Actually Get?

Class members who submit a valid, timely claim form will receive a pro rata share of the $1,250,000 Settlement Fund, up to a maximum of $160 per claimant. The pro rata share is calculated by dividing the net settlement fund — the $1,250,000 fund after deduction of administrative expenses, attorneys' fees and costs, and any service award — by the total number of valid claims submitted. This means the actual payment amount cannot be determined until after the claims deadline of September 14, 2026. If a large number of class members file valid claims, your payment may be less than $160. Conversely, if participation is low, payments up to the $160 maximum may be issued.

Payments are made by check mailed to the address on file with the settlement administrator. Settlement checks are void 180 days after they are issued — deposit or cash your check well before that date. No proof of losses is required to receive a payment; the only documentation requirement is the Claimant ID from your notice (needed to file online) and the certification that you did not request a Farmers quote online and were not a Farmers customer within the relevant period. Class members who do nothing will not receive a payment and will give up their right to sue Farmers and the agent defendants separately over the same calling and texting claims at issue in this lawsuit.

Last reviewed: June 28, 2026 | Information verified from court records and official settlement documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who qualifies for the Heckathorn Farmers Insurance TCPA settlement?

You may qualify if, between April 19, 2020 and June 15, 2026, you received two or more telemarketing calls or text messages within a 12-month period from agents Nickolas Ward, Nate Esparza, Kyle Ryan Gray, Dustin Huffman, Jason Hall, Brian Shirey, or LeNard Rhone (or their agencies) while those agents were marketing Farmers insurance products or services. Your phone number must also have been registered on the National Do-Not-Call Registry for more than 30 days when the calls were received, must be registered to an individual rather than a business, and must appear on a list of phone numbers produced during the litigation. Approximately 12,545 people may be covered by the class.

How much can I get from the Farmers Insurance TCPA settlement?

Class members who submit a valid, timely claim receive a pro rata share of the $1,250,000 Settlement Fund, up to a maximum of $160 per claimant. The actual payment depends on how many valid claims are filed — if participation is high, your share may be less than $160. After administrative expenses, attorneys' fees and costs, and any service award to the named plaintiff are deducted from the fund, the remainder is divided equally among valid claimants up to the $160 cap. Settlement checks are void 180 days after they are issued, so deposit your check promptly once you receive it.

What law did Farmers Insurance allegedly violate?

The lawsuit alleged that insurance agents marketing Farmers products called and texted consumers whose phone numbers were registered on the National Do-Not-Call Registry, in violation of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. § 227. The TCPA prohibits making more than one unsolicited telemarketing call or text to a number registered on the Do-Not-Call Registry within any 12-month period. Farmers Insurance Exchange, Farmers Insurance Company, Inc., and Fire Insurance Exchange deny all claims and admit no wrongdoing; the settlement is not an admission of liability.

What is the deadline to file a Farmers TCPA settlement claim?

Claim forms must be submitted online, emailed, or postmarked by September 14, 2026. If you want to exclude yourself from the settlement or object to its terms, the deadline for both is August 27, 2026 — earlier than the claims deadline, so act promptly if you want to opt out. The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled for September 23, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. at the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Division 17, 105 S. Central Avenue, Clayton, Missouri. File only through the official settlement website at HeckathornTCPASettlement.com.