Frequently Asked Questions

A Court authorized this Notice because you have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action and about all of your options before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. This Notice explains the Action, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.

The Action is called McGrath v. Suffolk County, Index No. 608155/2016 pending in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Suffolk. The person who filed this Action is called the “Plaintiff” and the entities he sued are the “Defendants.” In this case, the Defendants are Suffolk County and the Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violation Agency (the “County Defendants”).

The Plaintiff alleges that, as early as April 1, 2013 and continuing through January 25, 2023, the County Defendants imposed excess liability for red-light camera violations. In particular, the Action claims that New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law section 1111-b limits liability to $50 per violation and the County Defendants charged an unlawful $30 administrative fee on top of the fine for each red-light camera violation (the “Administrative Fee”). The Court declared these Administrative Fees to be illegal and enjoined the County Defendants from imposing them.  The County Defendants are pursuing appellate review as to certain rulings by the Court. In addition to seeking this injunctive relief, the Action seeks to recover the Administrative Fees paid by Settlement Class members. The County Defendants deny the merit of these allegations and deny any wrongdoing.

In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals who sue are known as “Class Representatives” or Plaintiffs. Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Settlement Class” or “Settlement Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Settlement Class Members, except for those who exclude themselves (sometimes called, “opting out”) from a settlement. In this Settlement, the Class Representative is Robert McGrath, Jr.

The Court has not decided in favor of the Plaintiff or the County Defendants. The County Defendants deny all claims and contend that they have not violated any laws. The Plaintiff and County Defendants agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and through the Settlement, Settlement Class Members are eligible to claim a cash payment. The Plaintiff and his attorneys, who also represent Settlement Class Members as “Class Counsel,” believe the Settlement is in the best interests of all Settlement Class Members.

The Settlement Class consists of all Persons or Entities who between April 1, 2013 and the present paid a $30 Administrative Fee to the County Defendants for red-light camera program violations.

Yes, excluded from the Settlement Class are 1) Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice David T. Reilly or any trial court or appellate judge to whom this action is assigned and any member of their immediate families and 2) any Settlement Class Member who timely opts out of the Settlement Class.

If approved by the Court, the County Defendants will pay up to $45,000,000 for cash payments to Settlement Class Members who file Valid Claims. The County Defendants have also agreed to separately pay Settlement Administration Expenses as well as the court-approved attorneys’ fees and costs and an award to the Class Representative.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you may submit a Claim Form to receive up to $36 for each red-light violation Administrative Fee you paid between April 1, 2013, and the present (the “Claim Period”). This payment amount may be subject to a pro rata (proportional) reduction based on the total amount of Valid Claims submitted if the total amount of Claims exceeds the maximum Benefit amount of $45,000,000.

Unless you exclude yourself from the Settlement, you cannot sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against the County Defendants about any of the legal claims this Settlement resolves. The Releases section in the Settlement Agreement describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Settlement Class. The Settlement Agreement can be found at www.SuffolkRedLightSettlement.com.

You must submit a Claim Form on or before December 8, 2026 to receive a cash payment from this Settlement. Claim Forms may be submitted online at here by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, or mailed postmarked on or before December 8, 2026 to the Settlement Administrator at:

McGrath v. Suffolk County, et al.
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 5324
New York, NY 10150-5324

The short answer is – after the Settlement is “finally approved” and any challenges to that approval are finally resolved. The Court is scheduled to hold Fairness Hearing on December 8, 2026, to decide whether to approve the Settlement, the attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs for Class Counsel for representing the Settlement Class, and an award to the Class Representative who brought this Action on behalf of the Settlement Class.

If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. It is always uncertain whether appeals will be filed and, if so, how long it will take to resolve them. Benefits will be distributed as soon as possible, if and when the Court grants final approval of the Settlement and after any appeals are resolved.

Yes, the Court has appointed Kevin S. Landau and Brett Cebulash of Taus, Cebulash & Landau, LLP and David J. Raimondo of The Raimondo Law Firm to represent you and other members of the Settlement Class as Class Counsel. You will not be charged directly for these lawyers; instead, they will separately receive compensation from the County Defendants (subject to Court approval).

If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

It is not necessary for you to hire your own lawyer because Class Counsel works for you. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve attorneys’ fees up to $12,500,000 (the “Fee Award”), as well as a $5,000 award to the Class Representative. If approved, the County Defendants will pay these amounts in addition to, and separately from, the up to $45,000,000 set aside to pay Settlement Class Member Claims.

If you do not want to receive any benefits from the Settlement, and you want to keep your right to separately sue the County Defendants about the legal issues in this case, you must take steps to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class. This is called “opting out” of the Settlement Class. The Opt-Out Deadline to submit a request for exclusion from the Settlement is November 9, 2026.

To exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must submit a written request for exclusion that includes the following information:

• Your full name, address, and phone number(s);
   
• An unequivocal statement of your intention to exclude yourself from the Settlement, “I/We request to opt out of the Settlement in McGrath v. Suffolk County, et al., Index No. 608155/2016.”; and
   
• Your signature

Your request for exclusion must be mailed to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and counsel for the County Defendants at the addresses below, postmarked no later than November 9, 2026.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you can choose (but are not required) to object to the Settlement if you do not like it or a portion of it, whether that be to the Benefits, the request for attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses, the award payment to the Class Representative, the Releases provided to the County Defendants, or some other aspect of the Settlement. Through an objection, you give reasons why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement.

To be considered by the Court, your objection must include:

• The case name and number, McGrath v. Suffolk County, et al., Index No. 608155/2016;
• Your Class Member ID number, full name, address, email address, and phone number(s);
• Documents or information sufficient to allow the Parties to confirm that you are a Class Member;
• A statement of your specific objection and the grounds for that objection;
• Any documents you want the Court to consider;
• A list of all other objections submitted by you or your attorney, to any class action settlements submitted in any Court in the United States in the previous five (5) years;
• If you or your attorney have not submitted an objection to any other class action settlements submitted in any Court in the United States in the previous five (5) years, an affirmative statement to that effect; and
• Your signature

Note: You may not raise any grounds for objecting to the Settlement that are not expressly stated in your written objection.

To be heard at the Fairness Hearing, objections must be filed with, or mailed to, the Clerk of the Court no later than November 9, 2026 at the address below.

Clerk of the Court
Supreme Court of New York, Suffolk County
1 Court Street
Riverhead, NY 11901

A copy of your objection also must be mailed to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and counsel for the County Defendants at the addresses below, postmarked no later than November 9, 2026.

Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not exclude yourself from it. Excluding yourself from the Settlement means telling the Court you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you exclude yourself or opt out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.

The Court is scheduled to hold a Fairness Hearing on December 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, at Supreme Court of New York, Suffolk County, 1 Court Street, Riverhead, NY 11901, to decide whether to approve the Settlement, how much in attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses to award to Class Counsel for representing the Settlement Class, and whether to approve the award to the Class Representative who brought this Action on behalf of the Settlement Class. The date and time of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check here for updates.

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense. If you file an objection, you may, but you do not have to, come to the Fairness Hearing to talk about it. If you file your written objection on time and in accordance with the requirements above, the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but it is not necessary.

If you are a Settlement Class Member and you do nothing, you will give up your right to start a lawsuit, continue a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against the County Defendants and the Released Parties, as defined in the Settlement Agreement, about the legal issues resolved by this Settlement. In addition, you will be bound by the Releases in the Settlement and will not be eligible to receive a cash payment.

This Notice summarizes the proposed Settlement. Complete details are provided in the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available at the Settlement Website, here.

If you have additional questions or need to update your address, you may contact the Settlement Administrator by telephone at (833) 447-6790, or by mail:

McGrath v. Suffolk County, et al.
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 5324
New York, NY 10150-5324