N環球 
Amazon to pay $8.25M after D.C. says it secretly cut Prime delivery to Wards 7 and 8
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced a $8.25 million settlement: $7.25 million in refunds to about 69,000 Prime members after Amazon secretly excluded Wards 7 and 8 ZIP codes from its own fast delivery service.
Why it matters
The District's top lawyer says Amazon quietly cut off Prime's own fast delivery service for two ZIP codes east of the Anacostia River — neighborhoods that are majority Black — while continuing to charge residents full Prime membership fees. The $8.25 million settlement is one of the largest consumer-protection wins for D.C., and it forces Amazon to give advance notice before it ever restricts delivery in the District again.
Full report
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced Thursday, October 1, that Amazon has agreed to pay $8.25 million to settle a consumer-protection lawsuit the District filed in 2024. Of that, $7.25 million will go to refunds for roughly 69,000 Prime members, covering nearly half of the membership fees they paid between June 2022 and April 2026; $1 million goes to the District as penalties.
The suit alleged that Amazon secretly excluded ZIP codes 20019 and 20020 — covering Wards 7 and 8 — from its own Prime delivery network, handing packages to slower third-party carriers, while continuing to collect full Prime fees. Amazon said its drivers faced "documented safety threats" in those areas and denied deceiving anyone, stressing the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. The company stopped excluding the ZIP codes in April 2026.
Under the settlement, Amazon must notify affected residents and the Attorney General's office in advance if it ever again excludes any D.C. residential ZIP code from Prime delivery for safety reasons. The case has been framed as a milestone for delivery equity in the District's historically underserved communities east of the river.
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