Notice to Class and Proof of Claim Form Released for Becker Class Action Settlement

Partnership for Civil Justice Fund to me
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Notice to Class and Proof of Claim Form Released for
April 15, 2000 Becker v DC Mass Arrest Class Action Settlement
(Please redistribute widely and post on all appropriate web sites)

The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund is pleased to announce that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has granted preliminary approval to the class action settlement in Becker, et al. v. District of Columbia, et al., relating to the April 15, 2000 mass arrest of nearly 700 people in Washington, D.C.
This sets in motion the process for class members to receive up to $18,000 each in compensation for their claims. This is the largest class action settlement of protestor claims in U.S. history.
This historic victory is the consequence of nearly ten years of hard-fought litigation by PCJF attorneys.
In addition to monetary payments, the arrest of class members will be expunged; each arrestee who participates in the settlement will receive a court order declaring his or her arrest to be legally null and void. There is also substantial equitable relief, changes in the law and to police policies and practices that have been achieved in the course of the litigation.
Click here to view the Notice to Class Members, which describes the litigation and settlement and answers questions that potential claimants may have.
Click here to download the Proof of Claim form, which must be filled out and timely submitted by potential claimants to the Class Administrator.
The deadline for submitting the Proof of Claim form requires that it be postmarked by no later than May 17, 2010. Please go to www.BeckerSettlement.com for additional information.
Please re-post this email to e-mail lists, web sites, Facebook pages or organizations where it may be viewed by potential class members. You can use the buttons below to forward this email or post it to Facebook or Twitter. There will also be additional publication notifying class members in various media outlets.
The class is "all persons who were detained and arrested on April 15, 2000 near the area of 20th Street, NW and I and K Streets, Washington D.C., in connection with the protest against the Prison Industrial Complex during the IMF/World Bank demonstrations."
If you believe you are a member of the class and wish to seek payment under the settlement, do not delay in submitting your Proof of Claim. Do not wait until you can include hard-to-find arrest paperwork.
Even if you need time to locate any arrest related records or paperwork, you should file your Proof of Claim without delay. The first way the Class Administrator will try to confirm your eligibility is by comparing your name/contact information to records provided by law enforcement in litigation or to the Administrator. In other words, if your arrest can be matched or confirmed against law enforcement records, there will be no need to send in any arrest related documentation. If a match is made, the Administrator will send you a letter advising so. If not, the Administrator will send you a letter requesting additional information or paperwork.
You can send in your Proof of Claim form immediately with copies of any arrest related paperwork or things (such as a property bag or ID bracelet) that are readily available. Continue to gather any related records, in case they are needed or requested.
If you know others who were arrested, please use our e-Card announcement to send a notification to them by e-mail. Click here to send an e-Card announcement to one (or a list) of e-mail addresses.
The official web site, established by the Class Administrator, is at www.BeckerSettlement.com. Additional materials are available there, and answers to frequently asked questions will be posted there as questions are presented to the Administrator. If you have questions, please first read the Notice to Class Members, which is in Q & A format and answers many important questions about the settlement and the process. The Class Administrator has also set up a toll free number, 1-877-567-4780, in case you have questions that are not answered in the notice or on the web site.