Anyone who Used Global Tel*Link Services to Receive Inmate Phone Calls Between 2011 and 2021 Could Benefit from a Settlement

ATLANTA, Jan. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Caplan Cobb LLP; Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho; and Radford & Keebaugh, LLC about the lawsuit Githieya v. Global Tel Link Corp., Civil Action No. 1:15-cv-00986 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

A Settlement was reached with Global Tel*Link ("GTL").  The lawsuit claims that GTL improperly retained money that was deposited in prepaid "AdvancePay" accounts after the account was inactive for 180 days or less.  GTL denies any and all wrongdoing of any kind and denies any liability.

The Settlement includes Class Members or anyone who (1) established and initially funded a prepaid account through GTL's automated telephone system (also called interactive-voice-response or IVR) and (2) had a positive account balance that was reduced to $0.00 due to account inactivity for 180 days or less from April 3, 2011, until October 6, 2021.

GTL will provide up to $67 million to pay (1) credits/refunds to eligible Class Members, (2) the costs of notice and administration, (3) attorneys' fees and costs, and (4) special service payments to Class Representatives.  GTL has also agreed to change its Inactivity Policy to benefit Class Members and others. 

GTL will credit or refund 100% of the amount that GTL retained from the affected accounts due to inactivity.  Payments to former GTL customers may be reduced if the total credits/refunds exceed the available Settlement fund.

Important Information and Dates:

• Class Members with an active GTL AdvancePay account at the time the Settlement is approved will receive an automatic credit to their account.  Those who have (or will have) an inactive GTL AdvancePay account at the time the Settlement is approved must submit a Claim Form online or by mail by June 14, 2022 to receive a refund. 
• Class Members, who are not sure they will continue to use their GTL AdvancePay account through 2022, should file a claim.  Anyone who has both active and inactive GTL AdvancePay accounts will receive an automatic credit on their active account but will need to file a claim to get a refund for their inactive account(s). 
• Class Members who want to keep their right to sue GTL themselves must exclude themselves from the Settlement by April 15, 2022.
• Class Members can object to the Settlement no later than April 15, 2022.
• Class Members who do nothing will be bound by the Court's decisions.  Former GTL customers who do nothing will not receive a refund (unless they reactivate their account within two years of final approval and funds remain available, in which case they may be eligible to receive a credit). 
• The Court will hold a hearing on August 26, 2022 to consider whether to approve the Settlement, a request for attorneys' fees and costs up to $18,675,000 and service payments of $25,000. 

For more information:

• Visit: GTLPrePaidSettlement.com  
• Call: 1-833-630-1412, or
• Write to: Settlement A dministrator, C/O Rust Consulting Inc - 7513, PO Box 2627, Faribault, MN 55021-9627

SOURCE Caplan Cobb LLP; Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho; and Radford & Keebaugh, LLC