How to get your Suffolk red light camera ticket fee refund

Suffolk County has yet to launch the claims process through which drivers can seek reimbursement for $30 red light camera administrative fees the county illegally collected between 2013 and 2023. Once it does, eligible drivers will be able to file claims by returning forms mailed to them or by filling out an online form, according to draft mailers posted to the online court docket.

The county this week reached a settlement agreement in a decadelong legal dispute, agreeing to pay up to $45 million to eligible drivers, in addition to the costs of administering the program and $12.5 million for the plaintiffs' lawyers legal fees.

Anyone who paid the fees since April 1, 2013, will be eligible to apply for reimbursement up to $36 per ticket — $30 for the original fee plus $6 interest. Reimbursements will not be made for the $50 base fines.

The claims process and notification of drivers will be handled by Kroll Settlement Administration, a private contractor. Besides mailing drivers who paid the camera tickets, the company will conduct a social media campaign to inform drivers about their eligibility, according to court records.

Kroll will cross-reference the names of those who submit claims with a list of drivers who paid the fees.

There will be a deadline date for filing claims, which will be included on the mailers — though that date has not been set yet.

"The claims process is intended to be straightforward, allowing eligible motorists to obtain their refunds with minimal effort," said David Raimondo, one of the plaintiffs' lawyers who brought the class action suit. "The eligible class members will be provided a simple prepopulated claim form to file."

Drivers will not need to show receipts proving they paid the fees, since the county has that information, which it shared with the plaintiffs during discovery, according to Raimondo.

In total, Suffolk County collected about $91 million in the illegal fees over the course of a decade, but its liability for reimbursing drivers is capped at $45 million, including interest. The amount each driver gets could be reduced from $36 per ticket depending on how many drivers apply for reimbursement.

At one point during the litigation a county attorney had said it lost access to data on who paid tickets after a thumb drive containing it had been "corrupted" but it was able to overcome that hurdle.

By Peter Gill

peter.gill@newsday.com