Capital One Arena venue fee settlement: Aramark claims due December 4

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes.

Key facts

Case: Alexander Garner v. Aramark Management Services LP, No. 2025 CAB 007444, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Civil Division.
Settlement: Aramark agreed to pay $4,500,000 into a non-reversionary fund. Aramark denies wrongdoing.
Who is included: Anyone in the United States who bought something from Aramark at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. and paid the 3% venue fee between October 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025.
Deadline: Claims, opt-outs, and objections are all due December 4, 2026.
Final approval hearing: January 15, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. ET, Courtroom 130.
Payments: An equal share of the net fund for each valid claim. No receipts are required.

What the lawsuit claimed

Aramark Management Services Limited Partnership, doing business as Aramark Sports & Entertainment, runs food and beverage concessions at Capital One Arena, the downtown Washington, D.C. arena at 601 F Street NW. The lawsuit centered on a 3% "venue fee" that Aramark added to concession purchases there.

The original complaint was filed November 7, 2025 by Travelers United, Inc., a nonprofit consumer advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. It sued under the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act, known as the CPPA, a local law that bars deceptive and unfair trade practices.

According to the complaint:

Menus at the arena did not mention the 3% charge.
The fee appeared on the payment screen only after customers had already chosen and ordered their items.
Customers saw an explanation only if they tapped an "i" button next to the "3% Venue Fee" line.
That explanation said the fee went toward "ongoing maintenance and administrative costs" and was "not a tip or gratuity."
Customers were not offered printed receipts.

The complaint called the charge a "junk fee," a term the Federal Trade Commission has used for hidden or unexpected fees that add little or no value. It also described "drip pricing," where the full price is revealed only late in a purchase, and "partitioned pricing," where part of the price is split out from the advertised total.

Allegations, not findings

These points come from the complaint. Aramark denies all of the allegations, and the court has not decided whether the venue fee violated D.C. law.

How the case reached a settlement

The case changed shape before it settled. According to the plaintiff's motion for preliminary approval, an amended complaint substituted Alexander Garner, an individual consumer, as plaintiff in place of Travelers United. The CPPA allows a public interest organization to sue on behalf of consumers, but the settlement class is represented by Garner.

The parties began discussing early resolution soon after the complaint was filed and agreed to pause Aramark's deadline to respond. After informal discovery about the amount of fees charged and how they were disclosed, they held a full-day mediation on May 26, 2026 at the JAMS office in Philadelphia before retired federal judge Diane Welsh. A mediator is a neutral third party who helps both sides negotiate. They did not settle that day but reached an agreement in the following weeks.

The motion is unusually candid about the risks of continuing. Plaintiff's counsel wrote that the CPPA authorizes statutory damages of $1,500 per violation, but that:

the fee was charged during a relatively short window of about fourteen months and has since stopped;
during most of that time, a window counsel described as ten months, the venue fee was disclosed on menu boards throughout the arena; and
throughout the class period, the fee was disclosed before customers paid.

Counsel said Aramark would likely have used those facts to argue there was no liability. That context matters for readers weighing whether the settlement is a fair trade.

Judge Shana Frost Matini granted preliminary approval on September 14, 2026, appointed EisnerAmper as settlement administrator, and set the schedule below.

What the settlement pays

Aramark will pay $4,500,000 into a non-reversionary fund, which means none of the money returns to Aramark. The fund covers:

payments to class members who file valid claims;
administration costs, which the notice estimates at about $74,985;
attorneys' fees and expenses the court approves, which may be up to one-third of the fund plus expenses; and
a service award to Garner of up to $5,000, if approved.

What remains is the net settlement fund. Each valid claim receives an equal, proportional share of it. The notice states plainly: "The more valid claims that are submitted, the smaller each individual payment will be."

Payments can be made by Venmo, PayPal, direct deposit, Zelle, or paper check. If enough money remains after the first round, the agreement allows a second distribution to claimants. Anything left after that goes to a cy pres recipient, a nonprofit chosen because its work relates to the case. The proposed recipient is Public Justice.

The amount per person is unknown

There is no fixed payment. Your share depends on how many people file valid claims and what the court approves for fees and costs.

Who is in the settlement class

The settlement class is all individuals in the United States who made a purchase from Aramark at Capital One Arena and paid a venue fee between October 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025.

That covers food, drinks, and other items bought from the arena's Aramark-run concessions during games, concerts, and other events in that period. You do not need to live in Washington, D.C. Visitors from Maryland, Virginia, or anywhere else in the country are included if they paid the fee.

How to file a claim

Claims are due December 4, 2026. You can file in three ways:

Online through the official site, venuefeesettlement.com.
By mail by printing the claim form from the site and sending it to the Venue Fee Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 1268, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.
By request by calling (844) 659-2531 or emailing info@VenueFeeSettlement.com to have a paper form mailed to you.

Direct deposit, PayPal, and Venmo are available only for online claims, according to the claim form. Mailed forms can choose Zelle or a paper check.

Notices were sent by email using addresses from Aramark's records. The claim form asks for your name, mailing address, and email address, a Claimant ID field for the number on your notice, your initials confirming class membership, and a declaration signed under penalty of perjury that you bought concessions at Capital One Arena during the class period and paid the venue fee. You do not need receipts, but the administrator may verify claims against Aramark's class list.

The administrator can be reached at (844) 659-2531 or info@VenueFeeSettlement.com. Class counsel are Katherine M. Aizpuru and F. Peter Silva of Tycko & Zavareei LLP and Wesley M. Griffith and David A. McGee of Almeida Law Group.

Opting out, objecting, or doing nothing

Opt out. Mail a signed written request, postmarked by December 4, 2026, to the administrator's Baton Rouge address. Include the case name and number, your name, address, and phone number, and a clear statement such as "I hereby request that I be excluded from the proposed Settlement Class." You get no payment but keep the right to sue Aramark yourself.

Object. File a written objection with the Clerk of the D.C. Superior Court by December 4, 2026. It must include the case name and number, your contact information, your reasons, whether you or a lawyer plan to appear at the hearing, and your signature. The court can approve or reject the settlement but cannot rewrite it.

Do nothing. You get no money and still give up your right to sue Aramark over these issues.

One date for everything

Unlike many settlements, this one uses a single deadline. Claims, opt-outs, and objections are all due December 4, 2026.

Timeline

October 1, 2024: Start of the class period.
November 7, 2025: Travelers United files the complaint in D.C. Superior Court.
December 31, 2025: End of the class period.
May 26, 2026: Full-day mediation before Judge Diane Welsh (Ret.).
August 14, 2026: Date on the plaintiff's motion for preliminary approval posted on the settlement site; Aramark did not oppose it.
September 14, 2026: Judge Shana Frost Matini grants preliminary approval.
October 5, 2026: Deadline to email notice to class members.
November 5, 2026: Deadline for class counsel's fee and service award application.
December 4, 2026: Claim, opt-out, and objection deadline.
January 15, 2027: Final approval hearing, 10:00 a.m. ET, Courtroom 130, D.C. Superior Court, 500 Indiana Avenue NW.

See more class actions you can join.

What remains uncertain

The settlement is not final. The court will decide at the January 15, 2027 hearing whether to approve it and how much to award in fees. The motion says payments will be distributed within 14 days of the settlement's effective date, which depends on final approval and any appeals.

Axios reported on October 6, 2026 that Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the arena, was not a party to the case. The court papers we reviewed name only Aramark and unnamed Doe defendants, and we have not drawn conclusions about anyone else's role.

Frequently asked questions

Who qualifies for the Capital One Arena venue fee settlement?

Anyone in the United States who bought something from Aramark at Capital One Arena and paid the 3% venue fee between October 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025.

Do I need a receipt to file a claim?

No. The claim form asks for a sworn statement and your contact details. The administrator may check claims against Aramark's records.

How much will I receive?

There is no fixed amount. Each valid claim gets an equal share of the net fund, so payments shrink as more people file.

What is the deadline?

December 4, 2026, for claims, opt-outs, and objections.

Did Aramark admit wrongdoing?

No. Aramark denies the allegations, and the court has not ruled on whether the fee was lawful.

Is the venue fee still being charged?

Plaintiff's counsel told the court the alleged fee practices "have subsequently ceased." The class period ends December 31, 2025.