Fox Nation Auto-Renewal: Hidden Charges Spark Class Action Lawsuit

Case Overview: A class action claims Fox Nation charged customers for ongoing membership fees without properly informing them or obtaining valid consent, violating California’s Automatic Renewal Law.

Consumers Affected: California residents who enrolled in Fox Nation memberships on or after April 21, 2021, and were charged for renewals under similar terms.

Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Eastern Division

Fox Nation, the streaming platform operated by Fox News Network, is at the center of a lawsuit alleging unlawful billing practices tied to its subscription model. A California resident claims the company charged customers for ongoing membership fees without properly informing them or obtaining valid consent.

Plaintiff Travis Poper says the lack of transparency violates California’s Automatic Renewal Law (ARL), which mandates businesses to clearly disclose renewal policies and obtain clear acceptance before charging a customer’s card.

Lawsuit Alleges Unauthorized Charges After Free Trial

According to court documents, Poper signed up for a promotional Fox Nation offer under the impression that he would be charged a one-time fee of $46.17 following the conclusion of the trial period. However, his billing records show that additional fees were charged to his credit card each December for three consecutive years.

The lawsuit claims these transactions occurred without adequate disclosure of the automatic renewal terms, or consent to those charges. The agreement allegedly lacked a clear explanation of how to cancel and failed to offer an accessible cancellation method, both required by California’s ARL.

Poper says the service failed to present the terms in a manner that met legal standards. The complaint also accuses Fox Nation of posting charges to consumers’ accounts without affirming that users knowingly agreed to those billing arrangements.

Consumers Claim Fox Nation Concealed Renewal Terms

Customers who signed up for the service may have believed they were paying once for a fixed membership, only to later discover their subscriptions continued each year. Poper alleges this misunderstanding stemmed from how Fox Nation presented its offer during sign-up and billing.

The lawsuit contends that had the renewal terms been presented properly, users could have opted out before being charged. Instead, the agreement allegedly lacked a prominent disclosure of the automatic renewal policy, which created confusion and financial harm.

Other Subscription-Based Companies Have Faced Similar Claims

This case joins a wave of recent lawsuits aimed at companies using recurring billing. In 2024, Adobe faced a complaint over its subscription model for digital software, with users claiming they were trapped in renewals they couldn’t cancel easily. That same year, The New York Times reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with California customers who said they were billed for subscriptions they never agreed to continue.

Consumers and regulators have increasingly raised concerns about so-called “drip pricing,” in which companies disclose fees or renewal terms late in the checkout process, often buried in fine print. California law now requires that such terms be both conspicuous and confirmed through affirmative consent before any payment is collected.

In the Fox Nation auto-renewal class action lawsuit, Poper is seeking to represent a group of California residents who enrolled in Fox Nation memberships on or after April 21, 2021, and were charged for renewals under similar terms. He is requesting restitution for affected subscribers, an injunction stopping the alleged practice, and certification of the case as a class action.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Poper v. Fox News Network LLC
• Case Number: 5:25-cv-00977
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Eastern Division

Plaintiffs' Attorney:

• Mark L. Javitch (Javitch Law Office)

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