Frequently Asked Questions

 A Court authorized notice because you have a right to know about a proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit and about all of your options, before the Court decides whether to give final approval to the Settlement. This website explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, and your legal rights.

The Honorable Michael A. Robinson, of the Circuit Court for the 17th Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County, Florida, 201 SE 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301, is overseeing this case. The case is called Bolanos, et al. v. VShred, LLC, Case No. CACE-25-001211. The Persons who have sued are called the Plaintiffs. The Defendant is VShred, LLC.
 

In a class action, one or more people called the class representatives (in this case, Oscar Bolanos and Alessandro de la Torre) sue on behalf of a group or a “class” of people who have similar claims. In a class action, the court resolves the issues for all class members, except for those who exclude themselves from the Class.
 

This lawsuit claims that Defendant violated the Florida Security of Communications Act (“FSCA”), Fla. Stat. § 934.03, the California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”), Cal. Penal Code §§ 631(a), and the Video Privacy Protection Act (“VPPA”), 18 U.S.C. § 2710 by disclosing its website users’ personally identifiable information (“PII”) to third parties without consent. The Defendant denies that it violated any law. The Court has not determined who is right. Rather, the Parties have agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with ongoing litigation.
 

The Court has not decided whether the Plaintiffs or the Defendant should win this case. Instead, both sides agreed to a Settlement. That way, they avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with ongoing litigation, and Class Members will get compensation sooner rather than, if at all, after the completion of a trial.
 

The Settlement Class is defined as:

All Persons who purchased products or services from V Shred and affiliate channels, including Sculptnation and Amazon from January 1, 2022 through the present, as well as users to participated in V Shred’s online quiz.  

Excluded from the Settlement Class are (1) any Judge or Magistrate presiding over this Action and members of their families; (2) the Defendant, its subsidiaries, parent companies, successors, predecessors, and any entity in which the Defendant or its parents have a controlling interest and their current or former officers, directors, agents, attorneys, and employees; (3) persons who properly execute and file a timely request for exclusion from the class; (4) the legal representatives, successors or assigns of any such excluded persons; and (5) any consumer who, as of January 21, 2025, has initiated an arbitration demand against V Shred.

Monetary Relief: Defendant has created a Settlement Fund totaling $4,000,000.  All payments to Settlement Class Members, the cost to administer the Settlement, the cost to inform people about the Settlement, attorneys’ fees, and an award to the Class Representative will also come out of this fund (see Question 13).
 

A detailed description of the settlement benefits can be found in the Settlement Agreement here.

If you are member of the Settlement Class, you may submit a Claim Form to receive a Cash Payment of up to $10.  You must submit a Claim Form in order to receive any compensation under the Settlement.
 

The hearing to consider the fairness of the settlement is scheduled for September 10, 2025 at 8:30AM ET. If the Court approves the settlement, eligible Class Members whose claims were approved by the Settlement Administrator will receive their Cash Payment 30 days after the Settlement has been finally approved and/or any appeals process is complete. The payment will be made in the form of a check, unless you elect to receive payment by PayPal or Venmo, and all checks will expire and become void 180 days after they are issued.

If you are a Class Member and you want to get a Cash Payment you must complete and submit a Claim Form by August 11, 2025. Claim Forms can be found and submitted by clicking here, or by printing and mailing a paper Claim Form, copies of which are available for download here.

We also encourage you to submit your claim online. Not only is it easier and more secure, but it is completely free and takes only minutes!
 

If the Settlement becomes final, you will give up your right to sue Defendant for the claims this Settlement resolve. The Settlement Agreement describes the specific claims you are giving up against the Defendant. You will be “releasing” the Defendant and certain of its affiliates described in Section 1.27 of the Settlement Agreement.  Unless you exclude yourself (see Question 14), you are “releasing” the claims, regardless of whether you submit a claim or not.  The Settlement Agreement is available in the documents section of this website, here.
 

The Settlement Agreement describes the Released Claims with specific descriptions (see Sections 1.25-1.27 and 3.1-3.2 of the Settlement Agreement), so read it carefully. If you have any questions you can talk to the lawyers listed in Question 12 for free or you can, of course, talk to your own lawyer if you have questions about what this means.
 

If you do nothing, you won’t get any benefits from this Settlement. But, unless you exclude yourself, you won’t be able to start a lawsuit or be part of any other lawsuit against the Defendant for the claims being resolved by this Settlement.

The Court has appointed Bursor & Fisher, P.A. to be the attorneys representing the Settlement Class. They are called “Class Counsel.” They believe, after conducting an extensive investigation, that the Settlement Agreement is fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the Settlement Class. You will not be charged for these lawyers. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer in this case, you may hire one at your expense.
 

Class Counsel’s attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses will be paid from the Settlement Fund in an amount determined and awarded by the Court. Class Counsel is entitled to seek no more than one-third of the $4,000,000 Settlement Fund ($1,333,333.33), but any amount awarded is in the Court’s discretion.  In no event will the Court award more than one-third of the Settlement Fund, but the Court may award less.

As approved by the Court, the Class Representatives will be paid incentive awards from the Settlement Benefit Cap for helping to bring and settle the case. The Class Representatives will seek no more than $5,000 each as incentive awards, but the Court may award less than this amount.
 

To exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must mail or otherwise deliver a letter (or request for exclusion) stating that you want to be excluded from the Bolanos, et al. v. VShred, LLC, Case No. CACE-25-001211 settlement. Your letter or request for exclusion must also include your name, your address, your signature, the name and number of this case, and a statement that you wish to be excluded. You must file your objection with the Court no later than August 11, 2025, and mail or deliver your exclusion request no later than August 11, 2025 to: 

V Shred Privacy Settlement
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391

 

No. Unless you exclude yourself, you give up any right to sue the Defendant for the claims being resolved by this Settlement. 

No. If you exclude yourself, do not submit a Claim Form to ask for benefits.

If you’re a Class Member, you can object to the Settlement if you don’t like any part of it.  You can give reasons why you think the Court should not approve it. The Court will consider your views.  To object, you must file with the Court a letter or brief stating that you object to the Settlement in Bolanos, et al. v. VShred, LLC, Case No. CACE-25-001211 and identify all your reasons for your objections (including citations and supporting evidence) and attach any materials you rely on for your objections. Your letter or brief must also include your name, an explanation of the basis upon which you claim to be a Settlement Class Member, the name and contact information of any and all attorneys representing, advising, or in any way assisting you in connection with your objection, and your signature If you, or an attorney assisting you with your objection, have ever objected to any class action settlement where you or the objecting attorney has asked for or received payment in exchange for dismissal of the objection (or any related appeal) without modification to the settlement, you must include a statement in your objection identifying each such case by full case caption. You must also mail or deliver a copy of your letter or brief to Class Counsel and Defendant’s Counsel listed below.

Class Counsel will file with the Court and post on this website its request for attorneys’ fees by July 28, 2025. 
  
 

If you want to appear and speak at the Final Approval Hearing to object to the Settlement, with or without a lawyer (explained below in answer to Question Number 21), you must say so in your letter or brief.  You must file the objection with the Court no later than August 11, 2025.  The Court’s address is:

    The Honorable Michael A. Robinson
    Circuit Court for the 17th Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County, Florida   
    Division 13 
    201 SE 6th St
    Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 
 

Objecting simply means telling the Court that you don’t like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Class. Excluding yourself from the Class is telling the Court that you don’t want to be part of the Class.  If you exclude yourself, you have no basis to object because the case no longer affects you.

The Court will hold the Final Approval Hearing in person or virtually by Zoom on September 10, 2025 at 8:30AM ET in Division 13 at the Circuit Court for the 17th Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County, Florida. The purpose of the hearing will be for the Court to determine whether to approve the Settlement as fair, reasonable, adequate, and in the best interests of the Class; to consider the Class Counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees and expenses; and to consider the request for an incentive award to the Class Representative. At that hearing, the Court will be available to hear any objections and arguments concerning the fairness of the Settlement.

The hearing may be postponed to a different date or time without notice, so it is a good idea to check this website or email Class Counsel at [email protected] with the subject titled “VShred”.  If, however, you timely objected to the Settlement and advised the Court that you intend to appear and speak at the Final Approval Hearing, you will receive notice of any change in the date of such Final Approval Hearing.
 

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have.  But, you are welcome to come at your own expense. If you send an objection or comment, you don’t have to come to Court to talk about it. As long as you filed and mailed your written objection on time, the Court will consider it. You may also pay another lawyer to attend, but it’s not required.

Yes. You may ask the Court for permission to speak at the Final Approval Hearing. To do so, you must include in your letter or brief objecting to the settlement a statement saying that it is your “Notice of Intent to Appear in Bolanos, et al. v. VShred, LLC, Case No. CACE-25-001211.” It must include your name, address, telephone number, and signature, as well as the name and address of your lawyer if one is appearing for you. Your objection and notice of intent to appear must be filed with the Court and postmarked no later than August 11, 2025. 
 

This website summarizes the Settlement. More details are in the Settlement Agreement. You can get a copy of the Settlement Agreement here. You may also write with questions to: V Shred Privacy Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391. You can call the Settlement Administrator at (833) 420-3963 or contact Class Counsel by emailing [email protected], if you have any questions or need to update your address. Before doing so, however, please read the materials within this FAQ section carefully. You may also find additional information elsewhere on this website.