The Claims Administrator has processed a number of claims and has begun sending refund checks to class members for the UUT information that has been verified. Payments were determined using the various utility companies’ tax data. Claimants will be notified by mail if they listed utilities on their claim form(s) for which no tax data was recovered. If one or more of the Utilities specified on your claim form were rejected due to inaccurate or incomplete information, you also will be notified of this rejection by mail. Class members will have 45 days from the date of a rejection letter to amend their claim with more accurate/complete information.

IF YOU RECEIVED A CHECK ISSUED TO A DECEASED CLAIMANT OR TO HIS/HER ESTATE, and you are the successor of the Decedent or the executor/administrator of the Decedent’s estate, you may complete and submit a Beneficiary Declaration and Release form. The form can be obtained by clicking on the link or selecting the “Deceased Declaration” option from the menu to the left. This form will indicate to the Claims Administrator that you are entitled to act on behalf of the Decedent or the estate, and that you are entitled to receive the sum due to Decedent pursuant to this Settlement. You will need to submit a certified copy of the Decedent’s death certificate along with the completed Beneficiary Declaration and Release. Once the Claims Administrator has received and processed your Beneficiary Declaration and Release form, we can proceed to re-issue the check per your instructions.

Do not submit current utility bills; current bills do not reflect the UUT paid during the Class Period of February 16, 2004 through November 4, 2008. In order to be considered, your documentation must show that the UUT was paid during the Class Period.

If you have contacted your utility company for documentation, and the utility company has indicated that more time will be needed to produce the information you requested, your deadline shall be extended by an additional 45 days (i.e., for a total of 90 days from the date of the letter). Such an extension will only be granted in cases where class members have been unable to timely procure documentation from their utility companies. If the documents are already in your possession, you must comply with the 45-day deadline.

If any of the Utilities listed on your claim form are rejected, it does NOT impact any other Utilities listed because each Utility is being reviewed separately. You may receive payments for some Utilities, and/or a letter requesting more information for others.

NOTE: UUT only applies to electricity, gas and telephone charges -- bills for other utilities (i.e. trash, cable, internet) are not subject to UUT and should not be resubmitted.

UUT’s that were paid to the City of Los Angeles or any taxing entity that is not the County of Los Angeles are not the subject of this lawsuit and are not a basis to receive refunds.

If you have moved since you submitted your claim form, you should notify the Claims Administrator of your change of address by writing to:

Oronoz v. County of Los Angeles Claims Administrator
P.O. Box 9426
Minneapolis, MN 55440-9426