Published
September 17, 2026
People and entities who paid a $30 administrative fee on a Suffolk County red-light camera violation on or after April 1, 2013 may qualify to claim up to $36 for each fee from the Suffolk County red-light camera class action settlement. Claims close December 8, 2026, the same day the Court holds its Fairness Hearing.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline to file is December 8, 2026 — online submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time that day, and a paper Claim Form must be postmarked by the same date. The Court has not yet decided whether to approve the Settlement; the Fairness Hearing is scheduled for December 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in Suffolk County Supreme Court in Riverhead, New York, and the Notice warns that the date and time may change. No final approval order and no payment date had been announced as of publication. Anyone who paid the $30 administrative fee on a Suffolk County red-light camera violation since April 1, 2013 should file before December 8 — a claim is the only way to be paid.Free settlement alerts
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Status
Claims Open
Claim Deadline
December 8, 2026
Online by 11:59 p.m. ET · mailed forms postmarked by that date
Estimated Payout
Up to $36 per fee
From up to $45,000,000 · cut pro rata if valid claims exceed the cap
Proof Required
Yes — Class Member ID
No receipts named in the Notice, but the settlement website tells class members to request a Class Member ID through its contact page first
What the Case Is About
The lawsuit, filed in 2016 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Suffolk County, alleges that Suffolk County and the Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency charged an unlawful $30 administrative fee on top of the fine for each red-light camera violation. The claim rests on New York Vehicle and Traffic Law section 1111-b, which the complaint reads as capping liability at $50 per violation. According to the Notice, the Court declared the administrative fees illegal and enjoined the County Defendants from imposing them, and the County Defendants are pursuing appellate review as to certain rulings. The County Defendants deny the merit of the allegations and deny any wrongdoing.The Settlement resolves the money side of that ruling. If the Court approves it, the County Defendants will pay up to $45,000,000 in cash payments to class members who file valid claims, and will separately pay the administration expenses, court-approved attorneys' fees of up to $12,500,000, and a $5,000 award to the class representative. Those separate amounts do not come out of the $45,000,000 set aside for class members.
Who Qualifies?
The Settlement Class is every person or entity who paid a $30 administrative fee to the County Defendants for a red-light camera program violation between April 1, 2013 and the present. That includes businesses and other entities that paid the fee on vehicles they own, and it is defined by paying the fee rather than by where the class member lives — an out-of-state driver ticketed in Suffolk County is covered on the same terms.Two groups are excluded: the Suffolk County Supreme Court justice presiding over the case, any trial or appellate judge to whom the action is assigned, and members of their immediate families; and any class member who timely opts out. One detail is worth reading carefully — the class definition runs to "the present," while the Notice's description of the allegations says the conduct ran from as early as April 1, 2013 through January 25, 2023. Claims should be filed for every administrative fee paid, and the Settlement Administrator applies the class definition.
How Much Can You Get?
A class member may claim up to $36 for each red-light violation administrative fee paid between April 1, 2013 and the present. The figure is a maximum, not a guarantee. The Notice states that the payment is subject to a pro rata reduction based on the total amount of valid claims if those claims exceed the maximum benefit amount of $45,000,000 — so the final per-fee figure depends on how many class members file and how many fees they claim.Because the ceiling sits above the $30 fee itself, a class member who paid the fee on a single violation is looking at an estimate of up to $36; someone who paid it on five violations could claim up to $180 before any pro rata adjustment. There is no separate documented-loss tier and no benefit for class members who do not file.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The Notice does not list any receipt or documentation requirement for the Claim Form. It does, however, treat a Class Member ID as part of the process: the settlement website's home page tells class members to use its contact page to obtain a Class Member ID and to allow one to two business days for that request to be processed, and the objection requirements list the Class Member ID number among the information an objection must include. Treat this settlement as ID-gated and request the Class Member ID before the December 8 deadline rather than on it, since the ID is not issued instantly.What Is the Deadline?
Claim Forms submitted online are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 8, 2026. A paper Claim Form mailed to the Settlement Administrator must be postmarked on or before December 8, 2026.Two earlier deadlines both fall on November 9, 2026. A written request for exclusion — opting out — must be postmarked by that date, and it must be mailed to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel and counsel for the County Defendants. An objection, and any notice of intent to appear at the hearing, must be filed with or mailed to the Clerk of the Court and copied to the same three recipients, postmarked or submitted by November 9, 2026. The Notice also warns that no grounds for objection may be raised later that were not expressly stated in the written objection.
How Do You Take Action?
File the Claim Form through the official settlement website, Suffolk Red Light Settlement, which carries the online Claim Form, the Notice, the Settlement Agreement and the other case documents. If you do not have your Class Member ID, request it through the site's contact page first and allow one to two business days. A paper Claim Form can be downloaded from the same site and mailed to the Settlement Administrator instead, so long as it is postmarked by December 8, 2026.Doing nothing has a cost here. The Notice states that a class member who does nothing receives no benefits and still gives up the right to sue the County Defendants and the released parties over the legal issues this Settlement resolves.
What Happens Next?
The Court is scheduled to hold the Fairness Hearing on December 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and will decide there whether to approve the Settlement, how much to award Class Counsel in fees and costs, and whether to approve the award to the class representative. Attendance is optional; Class Counsel answers the Court's questions, and a class member who filed a timely written objection may ask to speak but does not have to appear.If the Court grants final approval, the Notice says benefits will be distributed as soon as possible once any appeals of that approval are resolved, and that it is always uncertain whether appeals will be filed or how long they take. Separately, the County Defendants are pursuing appellate review as to certain rulings in the underlying case. No distribution date has been announced.
Sources and Verification
This page is built from the official Court-authorized Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement and the official settlement website operated by the Settlement Administrator, Suffolk Red Light Settlement, which publishes the Notice, the Claim Form, the Settlement Agreement and the case documents. The case is McGrath v. Suffolk County, et al., Index No. 608155/2016, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Suffolk. The statutory cap the case turns on is New York Vehicle and Traffic Law section 1111-b. The full Notice is reproduced below.Questions
Why is the payment up to $36 when the administrative fee was $30?
The Notice sets the maximum at up to $36 for each administrative fee paid during the claim period, which is more than the $30 fee itself. It is a ceiling rather than a guaranteed figure: if valid claims exceed the maximum benefit amount of $45,000,000, the Notice says payments are subject to a pro rata reduction.
Can one person claim for more than one red-light camera ticket?
Yes. The Notice describes the benefit as up to $36 for each red-light violation administrative fee paid between April 1, 2013 and the present, so a class member who paid the fee on several violations may claim for each one.
Can a business or company file a claim?
Yes. The Settlement Class is defined as all Persons or Entities who paid a $30 administrative fee to the County Defendants for red-light camera program violations between April 1, 2013 and the present, so a company or other entity that paid the fee on a vehicle it owns is covered on the same terms as an individual.
Does the County's pending appeal delay payment?
The Notice says the County Defendants are pursuing appellate review as to certain rulings by the Court, and separately that benefits will be distributed as soon as possible if and when the Court grants final approval and after any appeals of that approval are resolved. No payment date has been announced. Filing a claim by the deadline preserves the right to a payment whenever distribution happens.
What is the difference between the December 8 and November 9 deadlines?
December 8, 2026 is the claim deadline and is also the date of the Fairness Hearing. November 9, 2026 is the last date to opt out of the class or to object to the Settlement. Opting out ends any right to a payment; objecting does not, and a class member who objects may still file a claim.
Official Settlement Notice
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Settlement Amount
Up to $45,000,000 for class member payments
Case Title
McGrath v. Suffolk County, et al.
Case Number
Index No. 608155/2016
Court
Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Suffolk
Final Approval Hearing
December 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET
Suffolk County Supreme Court in Riverhead, New York · the Notice says the date and time may change
Administrator
Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
Official Website
Suffolk Red Light Settlement
