Settlement Structure: Claims Made
Active: Closed
Closed Settlement Statement:
According to court documents, the claim submission deadline has passed. Please contact the claims administrator if you have any questions.
Case Summary:The New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) is settling a class action lawsuit, with $12.5 million for payouts and $5.4 million in attorneys’ fees and costs. The complaint alleged that the DOC improperly subjected visitors who came to see inmates to invasive searches. An invasive search is one that resulted in more than accidental or incidental exposure of, or contact with, the breasts, genitals, or buttocks.
Docket Number:15 Civ. 9242 (RMB)(KNF)
Company: New York City Department of Corrections
Filing Deadline: April 27, 2020
Class Period: November 23, 2012 to October 30, 2019
Objection Deadline: January 20, 2020
Exclusion Deadline: January 20, 2020
Final Approval Hearing: February 6, 2020
Proof of Purchase:Presumably DOC records will be used to verify class members.
Eligibility:You may be eligible if you tried to visit an inmate at a New York City Department of Corrections facility between November 23, 2012 and October 30, 2019 and you were subjected to an invasive search.
Note that the patting of clothing, examination of seams and pockets, the touching of skin at the shirtsleeves and collar, the requirement that visitors raise or adjust clothing, or the search of religious headwear are not by themselves an invasive search. You are not included in the class for any visit if you were arrested for possession of contraband, although you may be included if you were subject to an invasive search on a different visit when you were not arrested.
Typical Settlement Amount:Benefits: $500-$4,000. If you were found with contraband and were denied a visit or had visits restricted, you will receive up to $500. If you were subjected to an invasive search and you were not found with contraband, you will receive up to $4,000. Final amounts will depend on the number of valid claims received.
Total Settlement Amount: $12,500,000 in settlements plus $5,400,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs
Class Representative Proposed Incentive Fee:$70,000 total
Law Firms:
Beranbaum Menken LLP
Giskan Solotaroff Andersen and Steward LLP
NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc.
Claim Form: New York City Corrections Visitor Invasive Search Settlement Claim Form
Case Name: Grottano, et al. v. City of New York, et al.,
Settlement Website: New York City Corrections Visitor Invasive Search Settlement Website
Claims Administrator:
RG/2 Claims Administration LLC
NYC DOC Visitor Search Settlement
RG/2 Claims Administration LLC
P.O. Box 59479
Philadelphia, PA 19102-9479
(844) 979-7313
NYCJailVisitSettlement@RG2claims.com