Customer sues Anthropic over Claude Max subscription limits

Karl Kahn filed a complaint on June 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging Anthropic’s Claude Max 5x and Max 20x subscription tiers provided less usage than the company advertised.

Kahn says he subscribed to Claude Pro in June 2025, upgraded to Max 5x in January 2026 and to Max 20x in April 2026. He alleges he overpaid for the Max tiers and at times purchased additional usage after reaching plan limits.

The suit asks the court to certify a class of U.S. residents who bought or upgraded to a Claude Max 5x or Max 20x subscription through Claude.com or the Claude desktop app between April 9, 2025 and the present.

Anthropic lists its Pro plan at $20 per month or $200 per year. Max 5x is priced at $100 per month and is marketed as providing five times the Pro plan’s usage capacity per session. Max 20x is priced at $200 per month and is marketed as providing 20 times the Pro plan’s usage capacity per session. Anthropic also advertises priority access to new models and features, access to Claude Code, and higher usage limits for Max subscribers.

The complaint says Anthropic did not clearly explain how it measured usage, which made it difficult for subscribers to verify whether they received the promised session capacity. The filing cites instances when Kahn purchased extra usage after encountering plan limits.

Kati Daffan, founding partner at Vaca Daffan LLP and counsel for Kahn, wrote in court filings, “The law is very clear that companies have to be honest about their advertising and marketing.” She added that ordinary consumers often lack the information needed to confirm whether a subscription delivered the promised service.

The suit seeks compensatory damages, restitution, injunctive and declaratory relief, attorneys’ fees and costs.

Anthropic did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The complaint was filed days after Anthropic released Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5. The rollout drew complaints from some users and developers about usage limits and faster consumption of subscription allowances. The U.S. government later ordered Anthropic to suspend access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for foreign nationals, citing national security concerns related to a potential jailbreak vulnerability.

The lawsuit joins broader scrutiny of premium AI subscriptions that advertise expanded access and higher usage allowances at price points between $100 and $200 per month.