WA Man Files Suit Over Prepaid Debit Cards Issued After Jail Release [UPDATE]
Last Updated on January 16, 2024
Reichert v. Keefe Commissary Network, L.L.C. et al.
Filed: October 20, 2017 ◆§ 3:17-cv-05848
A lawsuit challenges the mandatory issuance of fee-wracked, prepaid debit cards in lieu of cash to inmates released from Washington's Kitsap County Jail.
Washington
January 15, 2024 – Release Card Lawsuit Settled for $11.6 Million, Claim Deadline Extended
Rapid Investments and Cache Valley Bank agreed to pay $11.6 million to settle the proposed class action detailed on this page, and the deadline to file a claim has been extended to March 1, 2024.
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The settlement, which received final approval from the court on December 18, 2023, covers anyone who was given a prepaid debit “release card” when they were released from a jail or detention facility listed on this page during certain time periods. The deal covers over 1500 facilities where release cards were issued during various timeframes between October 2013 and February 2023.
Those who file a valid claim could get up to $15 plus three times the fees charged on their release card.
“For example, if you paid six dollars total in fees, you could receive up to $33 from the settlement ($15 + 3 X $6 = $33),” the official settlement website says, noting that payments may decrease on a pro-rated basis depending on how many valid claims are submitted. Any leftover funds will be distributed to nonprofit organizations approved by the court.
To file a claim, head to this page and, if applicable, enter the claim number located in the settlement notice you received via mail. You do not need a claim number in order to submit a claim for settlement benefits.
Though class members initially had until December 31, 2023 to file a claim, the deadline has been extended to March 1, 2024.
The website states that those who submitted claims by the December deadline should expect to receive their checks starting in mid-January, and claims filed after December 31 will be paid in March 2024.
According to the site, a separate settlement against Keefe was reached in November 2022 to resolve claims regarding six Washington facilities. Class members who already received payment from the Keefe settlement will be automatically sent a check for an additional $5. Those who were eligible to participate in the Keefe settlement but did not submit a claim may do so as part of this settlement, the site says. If you received a release card from a facility in Washington, head to this page for more information.
The website also notes that a separate, pending lawsuit has been filed in Nevada over release cards issued at facilities within the state. If you received a release card from a Nevada facility, you may choose to join that lawsuit if it settles. However, participating in this settlement will make you ineligible for a settlement or judgment in the Nevada lawsuit should that occur, the site says. For more information, head to this page.
Questions or comments related to this settlement can be emailed to releasecard@sylaw.com.
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A proposed class action filed in Washington claims the plaintiff, upon being released from a four-hour stint at Kitsap County Jail in October 2016, was issued a mandatory prepaid debit AccessFreedom Card—instead of having his confiscated cash returned to him—that was reportedly subject to various “exorbitant, unreasonable fees.” The plaintiff’s lawsuit against Keefe Commissary Network (which operates as Access Corrections), Rapid Investments, Inc. (which does business as Rapid Financial Solutions of Access Freedom), and Cache Valley Bank alleges the companies took full advantage of his (and pretrial detainees) lack of bargaining power by imparting such high fees to access $177.66 of his own confiscated money, conduct the lawsuit decries as “deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable profiteering and self-dealing.”
From the lawsuit:
“[The defendants] impose the following fees for their inmate release card program in Kitsap County:
C. $2.50 ‘weekly maintenance fee,’ which actually occurs only 72 hours after an inmate receives the card, not after the inmate has kept a card balance for a least a week, and every week the card holds a balance thereafter;
D. $1.50 ‘ATM account inquiry fee;’
E. $2.95 ‘domestic ATM fee’ which is in addition to any surcharges that the ATM operator may assess);
F. $2.95 ‘ATM Decline for Non-Sufficient Funds Fee’ after a domestic ATM declines a withdrawal for insufficient funds;
G. $3.95 ‘International ATM Fee’ (which is in addition to any surcharges that the ATM operator may assess);
H. $3.95 ‘ATM Decline International Fee’ after an international ATM declines a withdrawal for insufficient funds;
I. $2.00 ‘Inactivity Fee’ (purportedly after 90 days of inactivity);
J. $10.00 ‘Replacement of lost or stolen card’ fee; an
K. $10.00 ‘Account Closure Fee/Request for Balance by Check’ which occurs when the cardholder requests account closure.”
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