October 22 Deadline to Submit Claim Form in Anti-war Class Action
Earlier this year, Vodak v. City of Chicago, a class action lawsuit resulting from false arrests at a 2003 anti-war protest settled for $6.2 Million.
After nine years of litigation, attorneys from the Chicago Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild scored a significant victory by settling the suit. The case is a class action on behalf of over 700 protestors who were falsely arrested or detained by Chicago Police at an anti-war demonstration in 2003.
The class is made up of any individual who was either held on the street for over 90 minutes or arrested and taken into police custody on Chicago Avenue, east of Michigan Avenue on March 20, 2003.
The deadline for class members to submit a claim form is October 22, 2012. Any class member who did not receive a form should contact the Claims Administrator immediately to request one. The Claims Administrator can be contacted at:
Vodak v. City of Chicago Claims Administrator
c/o Class Action Administration, Inc.
PO Box 6848
Broomfield, CO 80021
Telephone (toll-free): 1(877)926-4750
The website for the Claims Administrator is www.chicagoantiwarprotestsettlement.com
A claim form will NOT be accepted via email and it is NOT sufficient to notify or mail your claim forms to the lawyers litigating the case or the Court to collect the settlement proceeds.
Breakdown of the settlement:
The settlement awards a total of $6.2 million to members of the class, with attorneys fees and costs to be paid out separately. The class is broken into three sub-classes:
Sub-class A-3: Individuals who were held, taken to a police station, charged, went to court and had the case resolved in their favor will receive up to $15,000.
Sub-class A-2: Individuals who were held, taken to a police station and released without being charged will receive up to $8,750.
Sub-class A-1: Individuals who were held in the street and were not allowed to leave for over 90 minutes will receive up to $500.
Again, it is extremely important that class members fill out their claim form and mail it to the Claims Administrator so it is received before October 22, 2012. After that date, any portion of the settlement that has not been claimed will revert back to the City.
