Athena Bitcoin agreed to a $4.5 million settlement, but claimants may have less than $3 million to split

Aug. 10, 2026 at 10:15 pm GMT • 2 min read 01 Athena Bitcoin's $4.5 million telemarketing-text settlement faces final federal court review on Aug. 10. 02 If approved, the deal would fund two classes of U.S. and Florida recipients who allege messages continued after STOP requests. 03 Fees, expenses, notice costs, and claim volume could shrink payouts, and the judge has not ruled yet.Crypto ATM firm Athena Bitcoin’s proposed $4.5 million settlement over telemarketing texts will face its final review in federal court on Aug. 10. Judge Mark E. Walker will consider whether to approve the agreement, class counsel’s proposed fee and a representative award.The settlement remained pending at the reporting cutoff.The case alleges that Athena sent more than one promotional text within a 12-month period to certain recipients more than 30 days after they had sent a message consisting only of “STOP.” Athena has denied wrongdoing or any violation of the law, and the settlement does not constitute a court finding that the allegations are true.The federal class covers residential subscribers across the US from Aug. 20, 2020, to Aug. 20, 2024, and excludes business numbers. A separate class covers q...