Anthropic faces class action over Claude Max usage limits

One five-hour Claude session ate 15% of Karl Kahn's weekly quota, and that number is now Exhibit A in a proposed class action against Anthropic, reported by The Verge. Two experts in our Who's Who directory have shared the piece.

Kahn, a Washington, D.C. resident represented by Vaca Daffan LLP, signed up for Claude Pro in 2025, upgraded to Max 5x at $100 per month, then jumped to the $200 Max 20x tier in April 2026 as he leaned more heavily on Claude for coding. He 'overpaid for both subscriptions, received less usage than Anthropic advertised, and at times purchased additional usage after reaching plan limits,' the complaint alleges. It was filed June 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The gap between the label and the meter: 'the Max 20x plan delivers just six to eight times the usage of Pro (not twenty times), and the Max 5x plan delivers just three-and-a-half times the usage of Pro (not five times),' according to the filing. The multipliers apply only to five-hour rolling sessions, and a separate weekly cap eats what's left. The lawsuit argues Anthropic's marketing figures were misleadingly couched in fine print.

The case, Kahn v. Anthropic, PBC (3:26-cv-05763), brings claims under California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act, False Advertising Law, and Unfair Competition Law, plus negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract. It seeks damages and restitution for U.S. residents who bought a Max 5x or Max 20x subscription through Claude.com or the Claude desktop app between April 9, 2025 and the present.