For all the magic inherent in Svalbard's vital statistics, the main settlement of Longyearbyen speaks powerfully of humankind's troubled relationship with the Arctic environment.
"Although we have strong defenses to all claims, a settlement avoids years of litigation and uncertainties that are inherent in such cases, " said Noah Hanft, MasterCard's general counsel, in a statement.
The saga illustrates the conflicts inherent in any class action, where lawyers can negotiate a settlement that is good for them, good for the defendants, but not necessarily good for the clients.