U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone today approved an unusual court settlement that entitles thousands of people to free sandwiches at Primanti Bros. South Side.

Last year, Nora Hoxha sued the restaurant because it printed some 49,056 receipts that included the customers' credit card expiration dates, or too many digits from their credit or debit card numbers, in violation, she said, of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.

The settlement entitles anyone who received such a receipt to one menu item, plus either a side dish or non-alcoholic drink. They will be sent vouchers.

The settlement also requires that Primanti Bros. make a $25,000 donation to the Carnegie Museums and pay as much as $62,000 to the plaintiff's attorneys, Downtown firm Anstandig, McDyer & Yurcon, and Painesville, Ohio-based Dworken & Bernstein.

First Published: March 9, 2011, 5:45 p.m.