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This settlement is closed!
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Ferguson, Mo. has agreed to a settlement valued at more than $5 million which will resolve claims that the city charged illegal court fees.
The settlement benefits Missouri citizens who paid the city of Ferguson warrant recall fees, failure to appear fees, or both on or after Dec. 8, 2009. Individuals who were assessed these fees but did not pay also qualify for relief under the settlement.
Plaintiff Roelif Carter filed his class action lawsuit in 2014, alleging that the Missouri city charged unauthorized warrant recall fees and failure to appear fees. According to Carter, these claims were a violation of Missouri law.
The city of Ferguson has not admitted any wrongdoing in the class action, but has agreed to resolve the claims against them in a settlement.
The settlement agreement notes that the deal was reached out of a “desire to avoid the further expense of litigation […] without the City having admitted any liability to Plaintiff or the Class, or admitting that if this litigation continued, Plaintiff and the Class would prevail.”
Under the settlement, Class Members who paid failure to appear fees and/or warrant fees to Ferguson can have these fees partially refunded in 80 percent reimbursements. Even if Class Members did not pay failure to appear fees or warrant fees, they can have these fees forgiven if they were assessed the penalties but did not pay them.
Since Dec. 8, 2009, the city of Ferguson has reportedly collected more than $2.1 million in failure to appear fees and warrant fees. If 80 percent of all of these fees are returned, total refunds would be nearly $1.7 million.
In addition, the city has agreed to stop charging any warrant fees or failure to appear fees until 2022 unless these fees are explicitly authorized by state law.
Class counsel estimates that the city would have collected nearly $3.4 million in these fees between 2014 and 2022.
Therefore, class counsel notes that the settlement’s injunctive relief is significant in value and would not have been recovered if the class action had not been filed or resolved in the Ferguson court fee class action settlement.
Considering the injunctive relief provided by the settlement in addition to the refunds, class counsel estimates that the settlement value is more than $5 million.
This value does not include the actual settlement fund of $600,000 which will be used to pay settlement administration costs, attorneys’ fees, plaintiff award, and other fees.
In order to benefit from the Ferguson court fees class action settlement, Class Members must file a valid claim form by May 18, 2020. Class Members who do not file a claim will not receive any benefits from the settlement and will release any claims against the city.
If Class Members wish to object to the settlement terms, they must do so by May 1, 2020. No exclusion deadline was given in the settlement notice.
The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for May 6, 2020. If the settlement is granted final approval, Class Members will reportedly receive payment via a check in the mail within 15 days.
Who’s Eligible
Missouri citizens who paid the City of Ferguson warrant recall fees, failure to appear fees, or both on or after Dec. 8, 2009.
Potential Award
Up to an 80 percent refund of each warrant fee and failure to appear fee paid by Class Members. Any unpaid warrant fees or failure to appear fees which have not been paid by Class Members will be forgiven.
Proof of Purchase
No proof is required to file a claim with the Ferguson court fees class action settlement.
Claim Form
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
5/18/2020
Case Name
Roelif Carter v. City of Ferguson, Case No. 14SL-CC04195, in the Circuit Court for St. Louis County, Missouri
Final Hearing
5/6/2020
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
Carter v City of Ferguson
c/o Atticus Administration
PO Box 64053
Saint Paul, MN 55164
FergusonFee@AtticusAdmin.com
1-888-900-8779
Class Counsel
John E. Campbell
Alicia Campbell
CAMPBELL LAW LLC
Defense Counsel
William A. Hellmich
HELLMICH HILL & RETTER LLC
Ronald A. Norwood
LEWIS RICE LLC
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