Lawsuit settlement means more refunds for motorists

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The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles has agreed to repay motorists more than $62 million it collected in excessive fees to settle a class-action lawsuit.

Attorney Irwin Levin of Indianapolis-based law firm Cohen & Malad represented motorists in the lawsuit. He says the settlement includes $28.5 million in refunds for customers who were overcharged between 2002 and mid-2006 for driver licenses, vehicle registrations and other services. It also includes $33.6 million the agency began returning to customers last year for transactions from 2006 to 2014.

Levin says most motorists who qualify for refunds would be entitled to somewhere between $1 and $50.

The agreement calls for the BMV to pay an additional $7 million in attorney fees to Cohen & Malad. The law firm received about $6.3 million for the previous settlement.

Together with previous settlements and refunds, the BMV has admitted to charging drivers more than $115 million in higher-than-allowed taxes and fees over the past 15 years.

Attorney Carl Hayes represented the BMV in the case. He says the agency is pleased to have resolved the issue.

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