Five South Jersey municipalities agree to settlement in class-action lawsuit over vacant property fees
Five South Jersey towns agreed to a $545,600 settlement over allegedly unlawful vacant property fees, pending court approval.Summary
Five Camden County towns—Barrington, Bellmawr, Runnemede, Voorhees, and Gloucester Township—have agreed to a proposed settlement of about $545,600 to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging their vacant and abandoned property registration programs collected fees unlawfully from owners who had not actually abandoned their homes. The settlement amount each town must pay varies based on the fees they collected, with Gloucester Township contributing $280,000, Runnemede $111,300, Voorhees $94,120.43, Bellmawr $33,932.50, and Barrington $26,271.57. Claimants can receive a simple $200 refund or, with documentation, 60% of the amount they paid. The towns do not admit liability, and the settlement awaits court approval, with a hearing scheduled for August 14 and a final approval hearing expected later this fall if preliminary approval is granted.
(Source：The Philadelphia Inquirer)