Published
April 23, 2025
Updated
July 29, 2026
This settlement resolves claims that Global Tel*Link Corporation, the prison telecom provider now doing business as ViaPath Technologies, charged people held in West Virginia jails and prisons and the people who contacted them more than its contracts allowed for tablet video calls and messaging. There is no claim form to file — refunds are calculated from the company's own billing records, and the deadline to opt out or object passed on June 30, 2025.
Current Status
There is no claim form for this settlement and there never was one. Eligible refunds are paid automatically to class members who did not opt out, using ViaPath's own billing records. The only date class members had to act on was June 30, 2025, the deadline to opt out or object, and that window has closed. The final approval hearing was held on July 18, 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. As of July 29, 2026, no final approval order and no payment date had been located in public sources — a scheduled hearing is not an approval order. The settlement terms provide that funds are issued approximately 35 days after final approval if no appeal is filed.StatusClosed — Final Approval Not ConfirmedHearing held July 18, 2025; no order located as of July 29, 2026.
Claim DeadlineNoneNo claim form exists. The opt-out and objection deadline was June 30, 2025.
Refund AmountDouble the overchargeA full refund of the overage charges plus an equal additional refund — a $10 overcharge returns $20.
Proof RequiredAutomatic PaymentNo claim form to file — amounts are calculated from ViaPath billing records.
What Was the Case About?
The complaint, captioned Allen v. Global Tel*Link Corporation d/b/a ViaPath Technologies, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Plaintiffs alleged that ViaPath collected fees for communications services between incarcerated and non-incarcerated people that exceeded the rates its contracts permitted, and that this violated the Federal Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. § 207, and the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act, and amounted to conversion under West Virginia common law.The charges at issue were for video calls, messaging and tablet usage on Inspire Wireless Tablets issued inside West Virginia facilities, and for the same services bought through ViaPath's Getting Out smartphone application by people on the outside. ViaPath agreed to the settlement to resolve the claims; a settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.
Global Tel*Link, widely known as GTL, is one of the largest providers of phone, video and messaging services inside U.S. correctional facilities. It rebranded as ViaPath Technologies in 2022. The company's pricing for incarcerated people and their families has been the subject of repeated litigation and regulatory scrutiny.
Who Was Covered?
The settlement class covered consumers who fell into either of two groups:• People incarcerated in a West Virginia jail or prison at any time between May 15, 2022 and April 30, 2023 who were charged excess amounts by ViaPath for video calls and other messaging services placed from an Inspire Wireless Tablet.
• People who were not incarcerated but who contacted an incarcerated individual and were charged excess amounts for services bought through ViaPath's Getting Out application during that same period.
The class period runs from May 15, 2022 through April 30, 2023. Charges outside that window are not covered by this settlement.
How Much Do Class Members Receive?
Class members who paid more than could contractually be charged for video calls, messaging and tablet usage during the class period receive a full refund of those overage charges, plus an additional refund in an equal amount. In practical terms the payment is double the overcharge: a $10 overage returns $10 in refunded charges and $10 in additional refund, for $20 total.Because the payment is tied to what each person was actually overcharged, there is no single per-person figure. Someone who used tablet video calling heavily during the class period would see a larger amount than someone who sent a handful of messages.
According to the settlement administrator's published information, class members who still hold ViaPath accounts have already had the overcharged amounts restored to those accounts. A class member who is no longer incarcerated, or who no longer uses the ViaPath account the funds were returned to, can request a refund of the balance from ViaPath.
Is There a Claim Form to File?
No. This is an automatic-payment settlement. There is no claim form, no Notice ID to enter and no documentation to upload, which is why this page is marked Proof Required: Automatic Payment rather than Yes or No. Eligible class members who did not opt out are paid from the company's records.The June 30, 2025 date that appeared in the notice was the deadline to exclude yourself from the settlement or to file an objection, and the deadline for a class member who wanted to request a particular payout method to tell the administrator. It was never a claim-filing deadline. Anyone with a question about their own payment should use the contact options published on the official settlement website.
What Happens Next?
The remaining steps are the court's ruling on final approval, resolution of any appeal, and distribution of the refunds. No final approval order and no payment date had been located in public sources as of July 29, 2026. Under the settlement terms, funds are to be issued approximately 35 days after final approval assuming no appeal is filed.Official information is posted at GlobalTelSettlement.com.
Important Dates
• Class period: May 15, 2022 through April 30, 2023• Opt-out and objection deadline: June 30, 2025
• Deadline to request a specific payout method: June 30, 2025
• Final approval hearing: July 18, 2025
• Payment timing under the agreement: approximately 35 days after final approval, absent an appeal
Other Global Tel Link Matters
This West Virginia case is not the only proceeding involving the company. An earlier nationwide class action over money left sitting in prepaid inmate-calling accounts produced the $67 million Global Tel*Link prepaid account settlement, which had its own separate class and claim process.Separately, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an order in November 2024 requiring Global Tel*Link and affiliated entities to pay $3 million based on the Bureau's findings that they froze accounts used by incarcerated consumers after chargebacks and seized balances in unified accounts. That is a regulatory action, not part of this settlement, and it carries its own separate redress process.
Sources
• Official settlement website — GlobalTelSettlement.com• Court-authorized class notice and award eligibility pages published by the settlement administrator
• Justia docket — Allen et al v. Global Tel*Link Corporation, No. 1:24-cv-00827 (E.D. Va.)
• CFPB enforcement action — Global Tel Link Corporation d/b/a ViaPath Technologies
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Case Caption
Allen v. Global Tel*Link Corporation d/b/a ViaPath Technologies
Case Number
1:24-cv-00827 (E.D. Va.)
Court
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Defendant
Global Tel*Link Corporation d/b/a ViaPath Technologies
Claims
Federal Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. § 207 · West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act · conversion
Class Period
May 15, 2022 – April 30, 2023
Benefit
Full refund of overage charges plus an equal additional refund
Opt-Out / Objection Deadline
June 30, 2025
Final Approval Hearing
July 18, 2025
No ruling located as of July 29, 2026.
Status
Automatic Payment — Final Approval Not Confirmed
Official Website
Global Tel Settlement.com
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