Superior Court of New Jersey
Mercer County
Law Division
YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO A REFUND IF YOU ARE A NEW JERSEY CITIZEN WHO RENTED A MOTOR VEHICLE FROM BUDGER RENT A CAR, RETURNED IT TO NEW JERSEY AND WHO WAS CHARGED A CLEANING FEE BETWEEN OCTOBER 9, 2012 AND JUNE 11, 2021
WHAT IS THIS NOTICE ABOUT?A lawsuit encaptioned Celestin v. Avis Budget Group, Inc., and Budget Rent A Car System, Inc., (“Budget”), Docket No. MER-L-102-19 was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer County on behalf of All New Jersey citizens between October 9, 2012 and the date of preliminary approval who have rented a motor vehicle in New Jersey with Budget Rent A Car and paid a Cleaning Fee between October 9, 2012 and June 11, 2021.. The complaint alleges that Budget had a uniform policy of improperly charging New Jersey customers a Cleaning Fee which was not adequately disclosed in its rental agreement. Budget denies any wrongdoing and denies the claims and allegations asserted by Plaintiffs and maintains that the Cleaning Fee it imposes was lawful. The parties nevertheless have agreed to settle the lawsuit.
WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS?If you are a member of the Class and wish to participate in the settlement, you need to complete and submit a claim form on or before September 20, 2021.
If you are a member of the Class and you do NOT want to remain part of the Class, you must exclude yourself (“opt-out”). To opt-out, you must mail a written request, postage pre-paid, to: Angeion at the address set forth below: Class counsel at DeNittis Osefchen Prince, P.C., 525 Route 73 North, Suite 410, Marlton, NJ 08053 and Defendants’ Counsel, Jason E. Hazelwood, Esq., Reed Smith, L.P., Reed Smith Centre, 225 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1200, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. The request must be post-marked on or before August 5, 2021, and contain: the name of the lawsuit; your full name, current address and phone number; your signature; and a specific statement of your intention to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class and any judgment entered pursuant to the proposed Settlement. If you do not opt-out as instructed above, you will be automatically included and bound by any determination of the Court, whether favorable or not, and any claim of yours will be ended by judgment.
You may also file a motion with the Court for permission to intervene in this lawsuit if you wish. You do not have to intervene. If you do not intervene in this case or exclude yourself from the class, your interests will be represented by Class counsel.
You may object to the proposed settlement if you wish. Any objection to the settlement must be sent to the addresses listed above and postmarked no later than August 5, 2021. Any objection should contain the name of this lawsuit; your full name, current address and telephone number; your signature; proof of your membership in the Class; and the specific reason(s) for your objection.
On Wednesday, August 25, 2021, at 9:00 am, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Mercer County, the Honorable Douglas H. Hurd, J.S.C., Mercer County Civil Courthouse, 3rd Floor, will hold a public hearing to determine whether the proposed settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable and should be approved. Class members who support the proposed settlement do not need to appear at the hearing or take any other action to indicate their approval. Class members who object to the proposed settlement are not required to attend the settlement hearing. If you want to be heard orally in opposition to the settlement, either personally or through counsel, you must indicate your intention to appear at the hearing in your written objection.
These rights and options - and the deadlines to exercise them - are explained in the notice.
The Court in charge of this case still must decide whether to give final approval to the Settlement. Likewise, payments to class members will be distributed only if the Court grants final approval of the Settlement and after any appeals are resolved.
PLEASE DO NOT WRITE OR TELEPHONE THE COURT, DEFENDANT OR ANY OF THEIR AGENTS FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT OR THIS LAWSUIT.