Terry v. Wasatch Advantage Group Frequently Asked Questions (Injunctive)
- There is a court approved settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by Section 8 tenants who paid or may have to pay additional service charges at Wasatch properties in California
- The settlement changes Wasatch’s policies on additional service charges for Section 8 tenants. Additional service charges must be optional, can be cancelled any time, and generally cannot be a reason for eviction or a pay or quit notice.
- You will be given a new choice whether or not to enroll in additional services.
- You can learn more about the case and the settlement on this website.
The Court gave final approval to the settlement on February 5, 2025.
This lawsuit is about whether Wasatch’s policies requiring Section 8 tenants at its California properties to pay for “additional services” beyond the allowed rent amount violated federal and California laws. Examples of additional services are in-unit washers & dryers, parking, storage space, media packages, and renter’s insurance.
Wasatch and the other Defendants deny that they did anything wrong.
A class action settlement is an agreement between the parties to resolve the case. Settlements can provide money to class members and changes to practices that caused harm.
In July 2024, the parties agreed to a settlement to end the lawsuit. Both sides want to avoid the risk, delay, and expense of more litigation.
The Court gave final approval to the settlement on February 5, 2025.
You can get a complete copy of the proposed settlement and other key documents in this lawsuit on this website.
The settlement requires Wasatch to inform current Section 8 tenants at its California properties that additional services (such as parking, media packages, renters’ insurance, and in-unit washers & dryers) are optional, are not part of the rent, and cannot be required to rent an apartment. Wasatch must give Section 8 tenants a new choice upon renewal whether or not to enroll in additional services, and tenants can cancel them at any time. All payments will be applied first towards rent, then to additional service fees. Wasatch cannot evict Section 8 tenants for unpaid additional services fees. However, Wasatch can use other legal remedies to collect unpaid fees for additional services that tenants enroll in and refuse to give up.
Defendants will pay $5 million into a settlement fund. This money will be used to reimburse class members who paid additional service fees to Wasatch between May 1, 2011, and November 30, 2022, plus interest.
According to Wasatch’s records, you did not pay additional service fees during this time period and will not receive money from the settlement. You can call 1-833-419-3493 if you believe you paid additional fees and should be reimbursed under the settlement.
In a class action, the court appoints lawyers to represent the interests of all the class members. For this case, the Court appointed the following lawyers:
|
Laura L. Ho, Esq. Stephanie Tilden, Esq. DARDARIAN HO KAN & LEE 155 Grand Avenue, Suite 900 Oakland, CA 94612 (888) 316-8870 |
Lindsay Nako, Esq. Lori Rifkin, Esq. Fawn Rajbhandari-Korr, Esq. Meredith Dixon, Esq. IMPACT FUND 2080 Addison Street, Suite 5 Berkeley, CA 94704 (510) 845-3473 |
|
Andrew Wolff, Esq. LAW OFFICES OF ANDREW WOLFF, PC 1615 Broadway, 4th Floor Oakland, CA 94612 |
Jesse Newmark, Esq. CENTRO LEGAL DE LA RAZA 3400 E. 12th Street Oakland, CA 94601 (510) 437-1863 |
You can also hire your own lawyer at your own expense.
You do not have to pay anything to the lawyers.
The Court has approved a payment to the lawyers of $4.5 million. This is called "attorneys' fees and costs," and it pays the lawyers for their work and expenses they paid. This amount is separate from the $5 million settlement fund for class members.
The deadline for disagreeing with or objecting to the settlement was January 21, 2025. Now that the Court has approved the settlement, class members may no longer object.
- Case documents can be found here.
- If you believe you may be eligible for reimbursement of additional service fees, call the Settlement Administrator at: 1-833-419-3493
- You are welcome to contact the Settlement Administrator or attorneys listed above with any questions. Please do not contact the Court.
- Para asistencia en español, por favor llame 1-833-419-3493 o haga clic aquí.