Anthropic faces class action lawsuit over Claude Max subscription pricing claims
In brief
- Class action lawsuit filed June 14 in Northern District of California by customer Karl Kahn
- Anthropic allegedly overstated usage limits for Max 5x ($100/month) and Max 20x ($200/month) plans
- Complaint alleges unclear usage measurement prevented subscribers from verifying promised access
- Lawsuit seeks damages, restitution, and injunctive relief for all U.S. Max plan purchasers since April 9, 2025
The complaint and plaintiff
Kahn subscribed to Claude Pro in June 2025, upgraded to Max 5x in January, and Max 20x in April. He alleges that he overpaid for both subscriptions, received less usage than Anthropic advertised, and at times purchased additional usage after reaching plan limits.
Max 5x costs $100 per month and is marketed as providing five times the Pro plan's usage capacity per session. Max 20x costs $200 per month and is marketed as providing 20 times the Pro plan's usage capacity per session.
The core allegations
The complaint alleges Anthropic did not clearly explain how usage was measured, making it difficult for subscribers to determine whether they were receiving promised access. This opacity created a gap between marketing claims and actual user experience.
The lawsuit seeks damages, restitution, injunctive and declaratory relief, attorneys' fees, and costs. The class action seeks to represent all U.S. residents who purchased or upgraded to Claude Max 5x or Max 20x between April 9, 2025, and the present.
Context and response
The lawsuit comes days after Anthropic launched Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5, its most advanced AI models to date. Competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity all offer plans costing between $100 and $200 per month with expanded access and increased usage allowances.
Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Decrypt.
"It's really not easy for a normal consumer to know if they're getting the amount they were promised, or if they're not, because that information simply isn't provided." — Kati Daffan, Founding Partner at Vaca Daffan LLP
