Investors who bought Becton Dickinson common stock between February 5, 2019 and February 5, 2020 have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on December 13, 2026 to file for a share of a $175 million fair fund created by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The money comes from a civil penalty the SEC imposed on the medical device maker over how it described the risks of its Alaris infusion pump.
The fund’s official website, run by the administrator JND Legal Administration, lists the purchase window as February 5, 2019 through February 5, 2020, inclusive. The fund holds $175,000,000 plus accrued interest.
For a former holder, the practical question comes down to three things: whether any purchase landed inside the February 2019 to February 2020 window, whether the trade records are still on hand, and whether the claim can be filed before the December 13 cutoff. Retirement account holders and people whose shares were held through an advisor or a fund manager can have a harder time with the second one, because the trade dates sit in statements from a custodian rather than in a single confirmation.
For people sorting out which trades count, The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice and a step-by-step filing walkthrough for claims that need proof of purchase.
Read the Becton Dickinson fair fund notice with the four-date rule →
What the SEC says Becton did
The plan notice describes the underlying conduct as repeated misrepresentations to investors about the risks the company was taking in selling its Alaris infusion pump from 2016 to early 2020. Alaris pumps are the bedside devices that deliver medication and fluids on a controlled schedule in hospitals. The penalty money is being returned to shareholders who bought during the stretch when, in the SEC’s account, the picture given to the market was incomplete.
A fair fund exists to send penalty money back to investors rather than to the U.S. Treasury. The distribution plan for this one was approved on July 16, 2026, and the administrator’s documents page carries the plan and a progress report dated August 28, 2026.
Who has to file, and what decides a payment
Buying in the window is the starting point, but it does not guarantee a check. Anyone who bought during those twelve months has to submit a claim by the December 13 cutoff. Money for people who miss the date is not held open for them, and the deadline is set by the plan itself.
The plan also sets a floor. If an eligible claimant’s calculated distribution is less than $20.00, that claimant will not receive a payment. The settlement tracker Open Class Actions describes the same threshold as a $20 recognized loss. Small holders who bought a few shares and sold near the purchase price may fall under it.
Why the date range matters for stock held a long time
A claim turns on when the shares were bought, not on whether they are still owned. A person who bought in March 2019 and still holds the stock has the same window question as one who sold in 2021. Shares bought before February 5, 2019 or after February 5, 2020 fall outside the class period no matter how long they were held.
People who bought several times, including through dividend reinvestment, may have trades on both sides of the line. Each purchase is judged by its own date, and lots bought in the window are the ones that matter for the calculation.
Gathering trade records before December 13
The free route starts at bectonfairfund.com, where the plan notice, the claim materials and the administrator’s contact details are posted. JND Legal Administration answers questions at 1-866-910-1105. The documents page is the place to confirm the exact filing steps.
Before filing, it helps to pull everything that shows a Becton Dickinson purchase, listed by the ticker BDX: brokerage statements for 2019 and early 2020, trade confirmations, and year-end tax summaries. Brokers can provide older statements on request, and the request itself takes time, so starting early leaves room before December 13. Anyone who held the shares in an IRA or other retirement account should ask the custodian for that account’s statements, not only the main brokerage account’s.
A short log with each purchase date, share count and price makes the claim form faster to complete and leaves a record of what was submitted. It also helps with a later question from the administrator.
Filing the Becton Dickinson claim before the December 13 cutoff
The steps are the same for everyone in the class: confirm the purchase dates, assemble the records, submit the claim at the fund’s site by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on December 13, 2026, and keep a copy of the confirmation. The fund’s own website is the free place to file. Anyone asked to pay a fee to file should treat that as a warning sign.
After filing, the date of submission, the confirmation and the expected payment window are worth writing down. The administrator’s documents page carries progress reports, and the latest one posted is dated August 28, 2026, which is where updates on timing for payments will appear.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System adds a claim log and payment tracker for recording each filing and what comes back, and the scam-proof rules for spotting anyone who wants a fee to file.
Get the claim log for the Becton Dickinson fair fund →
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by The Financial Wire’s editorial team.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
