Text firms agree to $63 million settlement

Cell phone subscribers who received and were billed for unwanted games, ring tones and other content might be eligible for $10 payments under a settlement of a class-action suit reached Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court.

The settlement allows for as much as $63 million to be paid out to those unfairly billed for content by about a dozen firms including Sony Pictures Entertainment. Other defendants in the suit included mBlox, 2 Way Traffic, DadaMobile, Lavalife, Mobile Entertainment, Playphone, SendMe, SJA Mobile, UPOC Networks and W3i Mobile.

Eligible consumers have an option of a $10 payment or a refund for up to three months of charges for mobile content.

A Web site explaining who's eligible to file a claim and how to do so can be found at mobilecontentsettlement.com. A fairness hearing is set for Jan. 10 in Chicago for defendants to argue against the settlement, which attempts to consolidate about 30 such suits across the nation.