Los Angeles, California Telephone Tax Class Action Settlement

To settle a class action lawsuit over phone taxes, Los Angeles County has agreed to pay $16.9 million in refunds to residents who incurred tax bills between Aug. 25, 2005 and Nov. 4, 2008.

The Los Angeles class action lawsuit alleges that the County wrongly collected a telephone utility tax. The plaintiff claims that the ordinance requiring the telephone utility tax specifically excluded services not taxable under the Federal Excise Tax. Most modem telephone services should have been excluded, said the plaintiff, and the only phone service that should have been taxed by L.A. County were local.

Further, in 2006 the IRS stopped collecting the Federal Excise Tax on phone services, except for local-only services, alleged the Los Angeles County class action lawsuit; however, the County, continued to assess the tax.

Class Members can claim either a standard award (Standard Refund Claims) or a full refund (Actual Amount Refund Claims) with proof of taxes paid.

The deadline to object to the class action settlement is Sept. 28, 2018.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members include “All persons, including corporate and non-corporate entities wherever organized and existing, who paid telephone utility user taxes to the County of Los Angeles on telephone service utilized from August 25, 2005 to November 4, 2008, other than local-only telephone services, teletypewriter exchange service, or long distance telephone service where the charge varied by both time and distance, and who have not already received a refund of such tax.”

Potential Award

$27.50 to $46 for those who make Standard Refund Claims.

Those who make Actual Amount Refund Claims can receive an award based on the actual amount they paid.

Proof of Purchase

None for Standard Refund Claims.

Actual Amount Refund Claims require documentation of at least 10 past or recent phone bills.

Claim Form

CLICK HERE TO FILE A CLAIM »

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

9/15/2018

Case Name

Granados v. County of Los Angeles, Case No. BC361470, in the Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Los Angeles

Final Hearing

10/29/2018

Settlement Website

www.LACountyTaxRefund.com

Claims Administrator

Granados v. County of Los Angeles
c/o JND Legal Administration
P.O. Box 91348
Seattle, WA 98111
833-807-3690
info@LACountyTaxRefund.com

Class Counsel

Daniel Krasner
Rachele R. Rickert
Marisa C. Livesay
WOLF HALDENSTEIN ALDER FREEMAN & HERZ LLP

Jonathan W. Cuneo
CUNEO GILBERT & LADUCA LLP

Nicholas E. Chimicles
Timothy N. Mathews
CHIMICLES & TIKELLIS LLP

Jon Tostrud
TOSTRUD LAW GROUP PC

Defense Counsel

COLANTUONO HIGHSMITH & WHATLEY PC