Published
September 6, 2026
People detained at a New York City Central Booking facility between April 8, 2017 and December 27, 2019 in Brooklyn, or between February 3, 2020 and March 1, 2023 at any Central Booking location, may qualify to claim up to $475 for each detention from the City of New York's $21.5 million Central Booking class action settlement. Claims close October 19, 2026, and the final approval hearing is set for October 22, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline to file is October 19, 2026, and the notice does not specify a timezone, so the date is published without one. The Court granted preliminary approval and directed that notice be sent; the final approval hearing is scheduled for October 22, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. in the Eastern District of New York. No final approval order has been entered and no payment date has been announced. Anyone who was held at a New York City Central Booking facility during the class period should file a claim now — filing is the only way to be paid, and the settlement website's own claim portal has a path for people who never received a notice in the mail.
Status
Claims Open
Claim Deadline
October 19, 2026
Online submissions and mailed forms · no timezone stated in the notice
Estimated Payout
Up to $475 per detention
Paid for each separate time held at Central Booking during the class period · up to $21.5M total fund
Proof Required
No
No Notice ID needed — the online form has a path for people who never received a notice; a Social Security number is required to sign the attestation
What Changed Recently?
The parties agreed to settle in May 2026, and the Court has since granted preliminary approval and authorized notice to the class. That is what opened the claim process: the official settlement website went live with an online claim form, and the administrator began mailing notices to people identified in New York City Department of Correction records.The settlement consolidates three separate lawsuits filed in April 2019, April 2020 and November 2021 — Capobianco et al. v. The City of New York et al., Brennan et al. v. The City of New York et al. and Aboubakar et al. v. The City of New York et al. The complaints allege that people held in the City's Central Booking facilities were kept in conditions that violated their rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The City of New York denies that it did anything wrong and has not admitted liability; it agreed to resolve the claims on a class-wide basis to avoid the risk and expense of further litigation. The Court has not decided in favor of either side.
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Who Qualifies?
Eligibility turns on where and when a person was held. There are two class periods, and they are not the same:- Brooklyn Central Booking: anyone detained there between April 8, 2017 and December 27, 2019.
- All Central Booking locations: anyone detained at any of them between February 3, 2020 and March 1, 2023.
There is a Central Booking facility in each borough of New York City, so the second period reaches a much wider group than the first. A person held during both periods is covered for the detentions that fall inside either one.
Class members do not need to have been convicted of anything, and they do not need to still live in New York. The class is defined by the detention itself, which is why New York City Department of Correction records are what the administrator uses to identify class members and count detentions.
How Much Can You Get?
The settlement provides up to $475 for each time a class member was held at a Central Booking facility during a class period. Someone held three separate times is being compensated for three detentions, not one. The City of New York has agreed to pay up to $21,500,000 into the settlement fund.The $475 figure is a ceiling rather than a guaranteed amount. Payment is calculated from the number of detentions in the Department of Correction records, and the notice describes a fund with an upper limit, so the final per-detention figure depends on how many valid claims are filed. Treat any specific dollar estimate as an estimate until the administrator issues a final calculation.
Two things can reduce a payment, and only one of them is discretionary. Class members with an unpaid child support judgment will have that lien asserted against the payment, which the notice states New York State law requires the City to do. Separately, attorneys' fees do not reduce the class fund: class counsel will ask the Court to approve up to $2,950,000 in fees and costs, and the notice states the defendants pay that amount and the settlement administration costs separately. Class counsel will also ask the Court to approve service awards of between $8,750 and $15,000 to the class representatives.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
No administrator-issued code is required to file. The online claim form opens by asking whether the claimant has a Notice ID and Confirmation Code from a mailed notice, and it offers a second option — for people who did not receive a notice and need to fill out a claim form — that leads to a blank form. Anyone who never received a notice, or who threw it away, can still file online.What the form does require is a Social Security number, entered with the signed certification that the information provided is true and correct. The notice ties that requirement to the child support lien described above. The online form allows the number to be submitted encrypted; the printed paper form has no equivalent option, which is the practical reason to file online.
No receipts, court records or arrest paperwork are required. Claimants who want to check the number of detentions being used to calculate their payment can ask the settlement administrator through the official settlement website, and the administrator will consult with the parties and return a final calculation.
What Is the Deadline?
Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by October 19, 2026. The notice gives a date with no timezone, so no timezone is published here.Two earlier deadlines both fall on October 5, 2026. A class member who wants to be excluded from the settlement must have a signed written exclusion request postmarked by that date; opting out means no payment, but it also means not being bound by the release and keeping the right to bring a separate lawsuit against the City about the same issues. A class member who wants to stay in the settlement but disagrees with it — including with the fee request — must have a signed written objection postmarked by that same date, stating the reasons and whether the objector or their lawyer intends to appear at the fairness hearing.
Doing nothing means no payment and still being bound by the release, so a class member who takes no action gives up the right to sue over these claims and receives nothing in exchange.
How Do You Take Action?
File the claim on the official settlement website at Central Booking Settlement.com. The form is available in English and Spanish.The online path is short. Select whether a Notice ID and Confirmation Code is available, then complete the demographics section, choose a payment method, and sign the attestation with a Social Security number and date. Payment options are check by mail, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or a virtual prepaid card; the electronic options ask for the email address or phone number tied to that account. A claimant who chooses a check and wants it sent somewhere other than the address on file can give a different mailing address on the form.
A paper claim form is bound into the mailed notice and can be returned by mail instead, postmarked by the same October 19, 2026 deadline. Anyone who needs to reach the settlement administrator — to ask about a detention count, to request a paper form, or to check a Notice ID — should use the contact page on the official settlement website.
What Happens Next?
The next milestone is the final approval hearing on October 22, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. The Court will decide whether to approve the settlement as fair, reasonable and adequate, and will rule on the fee and service award requests. Class members are not required to attend, but may attend at their own expense and may ask the Court for permission to speak.The notice states that the hearing date may change without further notice to the class, so the official settlement website is the place to confirm it. If the Court approves the settlement, the notice says payment is expected to follow, likely by the end of 2026; no payment date has been announced. If the Court does not approve it, the settlement is void and the lawsuits continue.
Sources and Verification
- Official settlement website — Central Booking Settlement
- Long Form Notice of Class Action Settlement (PDF)
- Order Granting Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement (PDF)
- Stipulation of Settlement and Order (PDF)
- Official online claim form
- PIX11 News — NYC to pay $21.5M in Central Booking settlement
Questions
Can I file if I never received a notice in the mail?
Yes. The online claim form at the official settlement website opens with a choice between entering a Notice ID and Confirmation Code and selecting the option for people who did not receive a notice. Choosing the second option opens a blank claim form, so no administrator-issued code is needed to file.
Does the $475 apply once, or to every time I was held?
The settlement provides up to $475 for each separate time a class member was held at a Central Booking facility during the class period, not a single payment per person. New York City Department of Correction records determine the number of detentions used to calculate a payment.
What if the number of detentions used to calculate my payment is wrong?
Class members can contact the settlement administrator through the official settlement website to confirm the number of detentions in the records. The administrator consults with the parties and returns a final calculation. A class member who disagrees with that final calculation may object or opt out.
Why does the claim form ask for a Social Security number?
The claim form requires a Social Security number as part of the signed attestation. The notice states that where a claimant has an unpaid child support judgment, New York State law requires the City of New York to assert that lien, which reduces the payment. The online form allows the number to be submitted encrypted; the mailed paper form does not.
When will payments be sent?
Payments are sent only after the Court grants final approval. The final approval hearing is scheduled for October 22, 2026, and the notice states that payment is expected to follow, likely by the end of 2026. No payment date has been announced, and a scheduled hearing is not an approval order.
Do attorneys' fees come out of the $21.5 million fund?
No. The notice states that class counsel will ask the Court to approve up to $2,950,000 in attorneys' fees and costs, and that the defendants pay that amount separately rather than out of the class fund. The defendants also pay settlement administration costs separately.
Official Settlement Notice
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
Up to $21,500,000
Case Title
Capobianco v. The City of New York, consolidated with Brennan v. The City of New York and Aboubakar v. The City of New York
Case Number
1:21-cv-06125 · 1:19-cv-02054 · 1:20-cv-01716
Court
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Final Approval Hearing
October 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Brooklyn, New York · attendance is not required · the notice says the date may change
Administrator
Angeion Group
Official Website
Central Booking Settlement.com
