Williams, et al. v. Retirement Plan for CTA Employees, et al.

TO ALL CLASS MEMBERS AND NEXT OF KIN:

The distribution of the settlement proceeds to Class Members and next of kin is entering the final stages. A second and final distribution will be made to those Class Members and next of kin who have cashed or deposited their checks for the first distribution. Checks for the final distribution are scheduled to be mailed on or about August 21, 2024. The amounts will be calculated by the court-appointed actuary after the first distribution is completed. To minimize costs and maximize the final distribution amounts, Class Members and next of kin will not be notified in advance of their individual final distribution amounts.

To ensure the orderly completion of the final distribution, the following deadlines will be in effect and strictly enforced. Please review them carefully.

April 18, 2024 – No new Change of Address (COA) forms or Next of Kin (NOK) forms will be accepted by the court-appointed Claims Administrator after this date, and no distributions will be made to Class Members or next of kin of Class Members who fail to comply with this deadline. NO EXCEPTIONS.

April 25, 2024 –No corrections or updates to previously submitted COA forms or NOK forms will be accepted by the Claims Administrator after this date. NO EXCEPTIONS. Corrected and updated COA forms and NOK forms received by this date but determined by the Claims Administrator to be incomplete, not properly notarized, or otherwise deficient cannot be re-submitted, and no distributions will be made to these Class Members and next of kin. NO EXCEPTIONS.

May 13, 2024 - W9 submission deadline. All required W9s must be filled by this date online at this Settlement Website by clicking "Submit a W-9" on the top right-hand side of this page. Failing to submit a required W9 form by this date will result in the automatic withholding of approximately 24% of your settlement award for taxes.

To submit a W9 you will need to provide your Class Member ID number, if you are unable to locate your Class Member ID number or are having issues submitting your form, please contact us at the toll-free number provided at the bottom of this page.

May 23, 2024 – All remaining checks for the first distribution will be mailed by this date. Checks not cashed or deposited by June 22, 2024, will be void. Checks to Class Members and next of kin that are returned to the Claims Administrator as undelivered will not be reissued or paid, and no distributions will be made to these Class Members and next of kin. NO EXCEPTIONS.

June 22, 2024 –All checks for the first distribution must clear on or before this date. Only Class Members and next of kin whose checks for the first distribution have cleared on or before this date will be eligible for the final distribution. Checks for the first distribution that have not cleared by this date will not be reissued or paid, and no distributions will be made to these Class Members and next of kin. NO EXCEPTIONS.

August 21, 2024 –Checks for the final distribution will be mailed by this date. Checks not cashed or deposited by October 5, 2024, will be void. Checks to Class Members and next of kin that are returned to the Claims Administrator as undelivered will not be reissued or paid. NO EXCEPTIONS.

October 5, 2024 -- All checks for the final distribution must clear on or before this date. Checks for the final distribution that have not cleared by this date will not be reissued or paid. NO EXCEPTIONS.

 All telephone, letter, and email communications concerning distributions must be directed to the Claims Administrator at the contact information provided on this website. The Robinson Curley P.C. law firm should not be contacted.

***IMPORTANT CASE UPDATE***

Initial distributions to eligible Class Members and the Next of Kin of eligible Class Members is scheduled to be mailed on December 29, 2023. The amount will be greater than the estimated amount provided to you previously because it includes interest since June 29, 2023, when the settlement funds were paid into escrow, and because the Settlement Administrator has been unable to locate certain Class Members or their Next of Kin.

You will have 90 days, until March 28, 2024, to cash or deposit the check. Thereafter, your check shall be void and you will not be entitled to receive any payment under this Settlement.

You should consult with your tax advisor to determine the tax consequences, if any, of this Settlement payment. The Settlement Administrator and Class Counsel cannot provide tax advice.

If you are the Next of Kin of a deceased Class Member who did not return a properly completed W-9 form, the Settlement Administrator has sent 24% of your total payment to the IRS as back-up withholding. You will receive a tax form for 2023 identifying the amount of back-up withholding sent to the IRS.

To the extent any Settlement funds remain after March 28, 2024, you may receive a second distribution 60 to 90 days thereafter.

All inquiries and address changes should be in writing, reference your Class Member ID and/or check number, and be sent to the Settlement Administrator at: Williams, et al. v. Retirement Plan for CTA Employees, et al., c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, PO Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391.

On May 25, 2023, an Order Preliminarily Approving Settlement was entered, pursuant to which a Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement (“Notice”) has been mailed by USPS first class mail to all Class Members at their last known address.

Effective September 22, 2023, the Proof of Kinship and the Change of Address Forms will be accepted through and including October 16, 2023.

PLEASE READ THE NOTICE CAREFULLY.

The information contained on this website is only a summary of information presented in more detail in the Notice. Because this website is just a summary, you should review the Notice carefully for additional information.

If you are a Chicago Transit Authority (“CTA”) retiree hired on or before September 5, 2001, who retired from the CTA before January 1, 2007, was eligible for retiree health benefits on July 1, 2009, and have not previously opted out of the Class, you are a Class Member entitled to participate in the Settlement.