This is the final weeks to claim and Only a few days are left for thousands of U.S. citizens who are entitled to a $48,000 payment after a historic $92.5 million class-action settlement of the New York City Department of Correction, in which they were unlawfully detained, in order to file it. The last date for submitting a claim is May 15, 2025.
The negative class-action lawsuit, which is old, accused New York City jails of going against the law by the prolonged detention of some people at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The allegations contend that the Department of Correction officials were in the habit of keeping people illegally in custody between 1997 and 2012, even up to a few months when the prisoners should have been released, thereby infringing on their rights.
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The city had, in fact, reached an agreement of $92.5 million in December 2024, but it did not confess any wrongdoing as part of the agreement. The compensation is up for grabs to anyone that might have been adversely affected within the prescribed time frames. According to the court, the number of inhabitants of the the collective can cover is about 20,000.
What are the requirements for those who are eligible?
The agreement is subdivided into two distinct categories: The Statute of Limitations Group and the Recent Group.
The aspect of the unlawfulness as the main qualification criterion is to be used to identify the individual case of all the candidates. The Statute of Limitations Group is a term used which refers to the time when people no longer have the right to sue for something that happened a certain number of years ago. On it are written the individual descriptions and the reasons they must provide when filing a claim. A release date was scheduled for each convicted person who was held in a New York City jail during the years 1997 to 2012. The Statute of Limitations group is composed of those who were incarcerated after the date of the announcement that they had done time in prison. The group consists of 200 former prison inmates from New York City who were wrongfully detained for periods exceeding the maximum sentence allowed by law between 1997 and 2012.
The Recent Group is consisted of those detained from February 1, 2007, through December 21, 2012. Claimants of this group have the right to be awarded anywhere from $20,000 to $48,000.
It is worth noting that submission of proof of detention is optional, although the applicants have to fulfill all the requirements and most probably were already notified by mail with a class member ID. However, if someone didn’t get the ID they can still submit by filling in their last name and putting “0” at the slot where the ID numbers appear on the form.
What were the claims about?
The original dismissal reported that Detainer requests submitted by ICE would require the Department of Correction to hold individuals for 48 hours, thus allowing immigration officers to initiate deportation proceedings. The lawsuit contended that the city systematically violated the 48-hour detainers, thus, keeping some of the prisoners wrongfully incarcerated beyond the legal release date.
This case has become the main topic of the current debates concerning the local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities’ operations. Criticizers say that actions such as over-time stays are indicative of constitutional rights’ violation alongside discriminatory policies in issues involving immigrants.
How to file a claim
Claimants will be able to submit their forms online through the official settlement portal:https://www.nycicesettlement.com/
The deadline for those who want to file their claims is May 15, 2025, to be eligible. The objections and the requests for exclusion from the settlement have to be come to the same deadline as well.
A final court hearing on the settlement consent will take place on October 6, 2025. Payments are to be distributed only after the settlement has obtained final approval from the court.
Why this matters
The settlement could provide financial relief to a large group of people, some of whom may have been hung by the New York City police without any lawful cause, with payments for individuals ranging from $10,000 up to $48,000. To many, the case is a matter of not only monetary reimbursement but also the acknowledgment of the emotional harm from an unjust detention.
For all the information, providing claim forms, and instructions, people can look for the official website or consult the court papers specifically related to the settlement.
