Route App Junk Fees Lawsuit, Were You Affected? — Mertson et al. v. Route App, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-01172

Mertson et al. v. Route App, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-01172, accuses the shipping-protection company of designing its checkout widget to hide fees on purpose. If you’ve ever checked out online and noticed a small “Shipping Protection” or “Package Protection” charge you don’t remember adding — you weren’t imagining it. A new class action filed in New York federal court says that’s exactly the point. Here’s what the lawsuit claims and what it means if you’ve shopped somewhere that uses Route.

Route App Junk Fees Lawsuit — Key Facts

Field	Detail
Lawsuit Filed	June 3, 2026
Defendant	Route App, Inc. — Lehi, Utah
Alleged Harm	Undisclosed “Shipping Protection” / “Package Protection” fees automatically added to carts through a pre-checked checkout widget
Law Alleged	Unjust enrichment (nationwide class); New York General Business Law §§ 349 and 350 (New York subclass)
Who Is Affected	Consumers nationwide who paid a Route “Shipping Protection” or similar fee (unjust enrichment claim); New York purchasers specifically for the state-law claims
Court & Case Number	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York — No. 3:26-cv-01172
Current Stage	Complaint filed; no class certified, no ruling issued
Lead Plaintiff Deadline	N/A — not a securities case
Settlement Status	No settlement. This is active litigation.
Last Updated	August 25, 2026

Who Is Route App and Why Is It Being Sued Over Checkout Fees?

Route is a Utah software company that supplies the “Shipping Protection” widget you’ve probably clicked past on hundreds of retail sites without registering what it was. It doesn’t sell you anything directly — it partners with the retailer, embeds a checkbox in their checkout flow, and keeps roughly half of whatever that checkbox generates. That business model is the entire complaint in three sentences: Route profits more when shoppers don’t notice the box, so plaintiffs say it built the box not to be noticed.

What Did Route App Actually Do, According to the Complaint?

Named plaintiffs Anthony Mertson, of Owego, New York, and Michael Schirano, of West Islip, New York, both say they paid Route fees they never chose. Mertson was charged $2.95 in “Shipping Protection by Route” on a January 2026 order from 7OHPLUS. Schirano paid $1.55 in “Route Package Protection” on a 2024 order from Perfect Bar. Neither noticed the charge before checking out, and both say they wouldn’t have paid it if they’d known it was optional.

The complaint’s central legal theory leans on New York General Business Law § 349, which bars deceptive business practices, and § 350, which bars false advertising — plain-English versions of “don’t trick people about what they’re paying.” What makes this filing sharper than a typical hidden-fee suit is what it quotes directly from Route’s own materials: the company’s merchant help center reportedly tells retailers that 98% of them leave the box pre-checked, and that doing so drives a 23% increase in conversion. In other words, the complaint doesn’t have to guess at intent — it points to Route’s own sales pitch to merchants.

So what does this mean for you right now? If a retailer you’ve bought from uses Route, there’s a real chance a few dollars of every order you placed went toward a fee you never affirmatively agreed to pay.

Are You Part of the Route App Junk Fees Lawsuit?

Here’s exactly how to know if this case includes you.

• Consumers who paid a Route “Shipping Protection” or “Package Protection” fee on any online order, within the applicable statute of limitations, may fall within the nationwide unjust enrichment class.
• New York residents who paid the fee have an additional path to relief under the state’s consumer protection statutes.
• Anyone who noticed the fee but didn’t realize it could be unchecked before completing checkout is squarely within what the complaint describes.
• Shoppers who bought from any retailer using Route’s widget qualify — the suit isn’t limited to one store or brand.

You likely do not qualify if you never made an online purchase through a retailer using Route’s checkout widget, or if you were separately and clearly asked to opt in to the fee rather than having it pre-selected for you.

Route App Customers Outside New York — Are You Still Covered?

Yes, to a point. The unjust enrichment claim is brought on behalf of a nationwide class, so your state doesn’t automatically exclude you. The two statutory claims — under New York General Business Law §§ 349 and 350 — are currently limited to a New York subclass, so those specific claims are narrower than the case as a whole.

Not sure if you qualify for the Route App junk fees lawsuit? A free consultation with a consumer fraud attorney can help you sort that out before you decide whether to pursue anything on your own.

What Are Route App Shoppers Asking the Court to Award?

No money yet. No claim form yet. The complaint asks the court to certify the classes, declare Route’s fee practices unlawful, order Route to disgorge and return the fees it collected, and award actual, treble, and statutory damages under New York law, plus attorneys’ fees and an injunction stopping the practice going forward.

What Could Route App Customers Receive If This Case Settles or Wins?

Impossible to predict at this stage. The outcome depends on how many people join the classes, what discovery turns up about Route’s internal data, and how any settlement negotiations unfold. Cases in this same “junk fee” category — hidden shipping and processing charges — have resolved anywhere from roughly $5 million to more than $50 million, but that range says nothing about what this specific case will produce. Talk to a consumer fraud attorney if you want to understand your individual options rather than wait for a class outcome that may take years.

What Should Route App Customers Do Right Now?

1. Most people in the proposed class are automatically included — you don’t need to sign up anywhere right now.
2. Pull up old order confirmation emails and look for “Shipping Protection by Route” or “Route Package Protection” line items, and save them.
3. Note which retailer you bought from and roughly when — that ties your purchase to the class period once one is defined.
4. There’s no lead plaintiff deadline here; this isn’t a securities case, so there’s no rush to act by a specific date.
5. Monitor the docket for Mertson et al. v. Route App, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-01172, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, for class certification and any settlement developments.
6. If your individual losses are significant, ask a consumer fraud attorney whether pursuing your own claim makes more sense than waiting on the class.

Route App Junk Fees Lawsuit — Full Timeline

Milestone	Date
Route’s default-on fee practice described in complaint as ongoing	UNVERIFIED — complaint does not state a start date for the practice
Plaintiff Schirano’s Perfect Bar purchase with disputed fee	September 24, 2024
Shopify announces ban on auto-added optional checkout charges	February 2025 (per complaint, citing Wall Street Journal reporting)
Plaintiff Mertson’s 7OHPLUS purchase with disputed fee	January 17, 2026
Lawsuit filed	June 3, 2026
Next scheduled hearing	UNVERIFIED — no hearing date publicly available yet
Expected resolution	UNVERIFIED — case is in its earliest stage; no timeline set

Route App — Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a class action lawsuit against Route App for junk fees right now? 

Yes. Mertson et al. v. Route App, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-01172, was filed June 3, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.

Do I need to do anything right now to be part of the Route App lawsuit? 

No. The proposed classes are automatically defined by who paid the fee — there’s no sign-up step at this stage of the case.

When will the Route App junk fees case settle?

 There’s no way to know yet. The complaint was only filed in June 2026, and no class has been certified.

Can I file my own lawsuit against Route App instead of joining the class?

 Yes, though it usually only makes sense if your individual losses are unusually large. A consumer fraud attorney can help you weigh that against staying in the proposed class.

How will I find out if the Route App lawsuit settles?

 Court filings and any settlement notice would be posted to the case docket, and coverage typically follows on consumer-law news sites once a settlement is proposed.

What specific laws does Route App allegedly violate?

 The complaint pleads unjust enrichment on a nationwide basis and violations of New York General Business Law §§ 349 (deceptive practices) and 350 (false advertising) on behalf of a New York subclass.

How much could Route App customers get if this case settles?

 Unknown. Comparable “junk fee” class actions have settled anywhere from roughly $5 million to more than $50 million, but that range doesn’t predict this specific outcome.

What does Route’s own fee amount look like in practice? 

The named plaintiffs were charged $2.95 and $1.55 respectively — small individual amounts that the complaint says add up across what it describes as hundreds of thousands of affected orders.

Sources Used in This Article

• Class Action Complaint — Mertson et al. v. Route App, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-01172 (N.D.N.Y.), filed June 3, 2026: https://www.classaction.org/media/mertson-et-al-v-route-app-inc-complaint.pdf
• Federal Trade Commission — “FTC Report Shows Rise in Sophisticated Dark Patterns Designed to Trick and Trap Consumers,” September 15, 2022: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/09/ftc-report-shows-rise-sophisticated-dark-patterns-designed-trick-trap-consumers
• The White House — “The Price Isn’t Right: How Junk Fees Cost Consumers and Undermine Competition,” March 5, 2024: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2024/03/05/the-price-isnt-right-how-junk-fees-cost-consumers-and-undermine-competition/

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the class action complaint filed in Mertson et al. v. Route App, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-01172, as of August 25, 2026. Last Updated: August 25, 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.