An Easy Way To Collect Cash: Joining Settlements On Class Action Lawsuits

BOSTON (CBS) -- "Wow, there's a lot of mail today." Julie Struble may like to check her mail more than most. That's because it's not unusual for money to come her way. "Hey, who doesn't love to get a check in the mail?" The checks all come from class action lawsuits.

"These are all the class actions of the last year," Julie said while flipping through a green office folder she uses to keep all her paperwork together.

"I get checks for everything," including a $59 check in a fluoride prescription settlement, more than $350 for a diamond class action, and $110 for a case involving car insurance.

Julie doesn't spend a second tracking these lawsuits down herself. She's alerted to most of them thanks to weekly emails from www.TopClassActions.com.

"It's money I wouldn't have known about."

Top Class Actions keeps tabs on lawsuits that thousands of consumers may not know they qualify for. Julie has joined class actions involving Johnson & Johnson, milk, Sirius XM, cd drives, potatoes, and robocalls, to name a few.

Robocall lawsuits can be particularly lucrative, like the recent $12 million settlement against telemarketers promoting a free cruise. "Not only are they annoying, but you can actually get paid back. So, that's nice," explained Scott Hardy.

Hardy runs the website Top Class Actions. He tells us hundreds of millions of dollars meant for consumers go unclaimed every year.

"You have to be patient. If you start submitting a claim now you're not going to get paid for months," he said.

To see if you qualify for any open class action cases check out the website. On the top menu bar click on Settlements, then click on Open Settlements and you'll find a long list.

If you do submit a claim be sure to manage your expectations. Some paydays won't even come close to covering dinner. "I have had a checks for 46 cents," said Julie and she still says it's worth her time.

"It's just something that is simple for me and a way to help out my family." Julie, a mom of three young kids, estimates she files at least one class action every other week and has racked up nearly $2,000 in settlement cash over the past 5 years. "It's definitely a positive thing to look at when you're counting pennies like most of the world is."