Demmerle v. Legoland New York

A Court authorized this 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 Kenneth M. Karas, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, is overseeing this case. The case is called Demmerle, et al. v. LEGOLAND New York, LLC, et al., Case No. 23-cv-11141-KMK. The people who sued are called the Plaintiffs. The Defendants are LEGOLAND New York, LLC and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers US LLC.

In a class action, one or more people called class representatives (in this case, Christopher Demmerle, Ronniery De La Cruz, and Peng Li) 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 Defendants failed to properly disclose a processing fee for electronic tickets to their LEGOLAND New York Resort and Theme Park in Goshen, New York and LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Yonkers, New York prior to those tickets being selected for purchase, in alleged violation of ACAL § 25.07(4). The Defendants deny they 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 Plaintiff 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 Settlement Class Members will get compensation sooner rather than after the completion of a trial, if at all.

The Court decided that everyone who fits the following description is a member of the Settlement Class:

All individuals in the United States who purchased electronic tickets to LEGOLAND New York Resort and Theme Park and/or LEGOLAND Discovery Center from Defendants’ websites, from August 29, 2022, through January 30, 2024 for LEGOLAND New York and from August 29, 2022 through January 2, 2024 for LEGOLAND Discovery Center.

Monetary Relief. A Settlement Fund has been created totaling $350,000.00. Class Member payments, and the cost to administer the Settlement, the cost to inform people about the Settlement, attorneys’ fees (inclusive of litigation costs), and awards to the Class Representatives will also come out of this fund (see FAQ 12).

Prospective Relief. Additionally, as part of the Settlement, Defendants have represented that they are no longer charging processing fees for electronic tickets to LEGOLAND New York Resort and Theme Park and LEGOLAND Discovery Center and have agreed not to reinstate those processing fees unless: (i) they clearly and conspicuously disclose the total cost of the tickets, inclusive of all processing fees, prior to the ticket being selected for purchase; or (ii) ACAL § 25.07(4) is amended, repealed, or otherwise invalidated.

A detailed description of the settlement benefits can be found in the Settlement Agreement, a copy of which is accessible by clicking here.

To receive a pro rata share of the Settlement Fund, which will be based on the total amount of processing fees you paid, you must submit a timely and complete Claim Form no later than June 21, 2025. You may file a Claim Form on this website by clicking here.

Your payment will be made by PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or check, at your election. Claim Forms must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. EST on June 21, 2025, or postmarked and mailed by June 21, 2025.

You can contact Class Counsel at 1-646-837-7150 to inquire as to the number of claims and/or requests for exclusion that have been received to date.

The hearing to consider the fairness of the settlement is scheduled for May 7, 2025. If the Court approves the settlement, eligible Class Members whose claims were approved by the Settlement Administrator will receive their payment 28 days after June 21, 2025. The payment will be made in the form of a check, unless you elect to receive payment by PayPal, Zelle, or Venmo, and all checks will expire and become void 180 days after they are issued.

If you are a Settlement Class Member and you want to get a payment, you must complete and submit a Claim Form by June 21, 2025. After February 21, 2025, Claim Forms may be found and submitted on this website, or by printing and mailing a paper Claim Form, copies of which are available for download by clicking here.

Class Members were sent notice via Email on February 21, 2025. This Notice will include a Unique ID and PIN. You must provide proof of your Class membership when filing a claim by providing the Unique ID and PIN on the notice you received by email. Failure to submit a timely Claim Form by the Claims Deadline will prevent you from receiving a settlement payment from the Settlement Fund.

We also encourage you to submit your claim on-line. 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 the Defendant and other Released Parties for the claims being resolved by this Settlement. The specific claims you are giving up against the Defendant are described in the Settlement Agreement. You will be “releasing” the Defendant and its affiliates, employees, and representatives as described in Section 1.24 of the Settlement Agreement. Unless you exclude yourself (see FAQ 13), you are “releasing” the claims, regardless of whether you claim your electronic payment or not. The Settlement Agreement is available here.

The Settlement Agreement describes the released claims with specific descriptions, so read it carefully. If you have any questions you can talk to the lawyers listed in FAQ 11 for free or you can, of course, talk to your own lawyer at your own expense if you have questions.

The Court has appointed Philip L. Fraietta and Stefan Bogdanovich of 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.

The Defendants have agreed that Class Counsel’s attorneys’ fees and costs may be paid out of the Settlement Fund in an amount to be determined by the Court. The fee petition will seek no more than one-third of the Settlement Fund, inclusive of reimbursement of their costs and expenses; the Court may award less than this amount. Under the Settlement Agreement, any amount awarded to Class Counsel will be paid out of the Settlement Fund.

Subject to approval by the Court, Defendants have agreed that the Class Representatives may be paid service awards of $1,500 each from the Settlement Fund for their services in helping to bring and resolve this case.

The deadline to request exclusion from the Settlement was April 3, 2025 and has passed.

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

No. If you exclude yourself, you will not receive any payment from the Settlement Fund.

The deadline to object to the Settlement was April 3, 2025 and has passed.

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 Final Approval Hearing was held on May 29, 2025, and the Court approved the Settlement on May 29, 2025.

This website summarizes the Settlement. More details are in the Settlement Agreement. You can get a copy of the Settlement Agreement by clicking here. You may also write with questions to LEGOLAND New York Ticket Fee Settlement, PO Box 3278 Portland, OR 97208-3278. You can call the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-351-0380, or Class Counsel at 1-646-837-7150, if you have any questions. Before doing so, however, please read these full Frequently Asked Questions carefully. You may also find additional information elsewhere on this website.