The TLC suspension class action settlement is a $140 million deal that would pay roughly 19,500 current and former New York City taxi and for-hire drivers whose licenses were summarily suspended between June 28, 2003, and February 18, 2020. Individual payments run from a few hundred dollars up to $36,000, based on how long each driver’s license was pulled. As of mid-2026, the agreement is still awaiting final court approval and no money has been distributed.1The New York Times. NYC Taxi Drivers Settlement2TLC Suspension Claims. TLC Suspension Claims Homepage
Who Qualifies for a Payment
The class covers anyone whose TLC taxi or for-hire vehicle license was suspended based on an arrest at any point between June 28, 2003, and February 18, 2020. Class membership was set by the district court’s March 2022 certification order in Nnebe et al. v. Daus et al., No. 06-CV-4991, Southern District of New York.3TLC Suspension Claims. Frequently Asked Questions
Within the class, drivers fall into two groups that affect payout size. Drivers who signed up for a damages hearing by the January 13, 2023, deadline are eligible for the full payment tiers. Drivers who did not sign up by that deadline are still class members, but they can only recover up to 37.5 percent of the tier amount.4NYTWA. License Suspension Class Action5ClassAction.org. $140M New York City Taxi Driver Settlement
How Much You Can Receive
Payments are calculated from the total number of days a driver’s license was suspended. Multiple suspensions are added together, but any individual suspension shorter than 32 days is dropped from the count.5ClassAction.org. $140M New York City Taxi Driver Settlement
For drivers who requested a damages hearing, the maximum tier amounts are:
- 25 days or fewer: $700
- 26 to 31 days: $750
- 32 to 60 days: $21,000
- 61 to 90 days: $24,000
- 91 to 120 days: $27,000
- 121 to 210 days: $30,000
- 211 to 390 days: $33,000
- 391 days or more: $36,000
- No recorded suspension end date: $17,000
Drivers who did not request a hearing receive up to 37.5 percent of those figures.5ClassAction.org. $140M New York City Taxi Driver Settlement All amounts may be reduced proportionally if valid claims exceed the $140 million fund. Court filings from April 2026 show submitted claims already total more than $130 million, and class counsel expects the total to exceed the cap, meaning pro rata cuts are likely.6PACER Monitor. Nnebe v. Daus et al.
The ten drivers who won at the November 2023 bellwether trial were offered $15,000 incentive payments in place of their jury verdicts.3TLC Suspension Claims. Frequently Asked Questions
How To File a Claim
Claim forms can be submitted online at tlcsuspensionclaims.com using the login ID and PIN printed on the mailed notice.7TLC Suspension Claims. Submit a Claim Paper submission is also available:
- Mail: TLC Driver Suspension Case, Claims Administrator, P.O. Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799
- Fax: (714) 824-8591
- Email: info@TLCSuspensionClaims.com
- Phone: (833) 296-1006
To be paid, you must submit a signed claim form together with a City of New York Substitute Form W-9. The claim form includes an affirmation that, if a constitutionally adequate hearing had been available, you would have requested one and believe in good faith you would have succeeded in getting the suspension lifted.3TLC Suspension Claims. Frequently Asked Questions
You do not need to prove how long your license was suspended. The claims administrator calculates payment amounts from TLC records. If your address has changed since the notice went out, contact the administrator so payment can reach you.3TLC Suspension Claims. Frequently Asked Questions
Where the Settlement Stands
Judge Richard J. Sullivan, a Second Circuit judge sitting by designation in the Southern District of New York, granted preliminary approval in May 2025 and held a final approval hearing on August 13, 2025. He indicated at that hearing that he planned to approve the deal.1The New York Times. NYC Taxi Drivers Settlement8U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. Hon. Richard J. Sullivan, Circuit Judge Sitting by Designation
No final approval order has issued as of mid-2026. In an April 28, 2026, order, Judge Sullivan directed class counsel to submit updated figures on how individual awards would be apportioned given the volume of claims. Counsel filed a response on May 5, 2026.6PACER Monitor. Nnebe v. Daus et al. No payment distribution date has been set, and payments remain contingent on final court approval.2TLC Suspension Claims. TLC Suspension Claims Homepage
Why the City Is Paying
The suspensions at issue happened automatically after a driver was arrested on certain charges. The suspension took effect before any trial or conviction, and the TLC did not consider the driver’s individual record or the facts of the arrest before pulling the license.9Documented. Taxi Driver TLC NYTWA Settlement Post-suspension hearings looked at only three things: whether the driver had been charged, whether the charge was still pending, and whether it had some connection to public safety.10FindLaw. Nnebe v. Daus, Second Circuit Opinion
Between 2003 and 2010, affected drivers collectively lost more than three million work days, and roughly 90 percent of the underlying arrests were ultimately found to be without merit or reduced to minor infractions, according to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.9Documented. Taxi Driver TLC NYTWA Settlement11FindLaw. Nnebe v. Daus12NYC.gov. Nnebe Legal Notice The TLC rewrote its suspension rules effective January 2021, requiring the agency to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a driver’s continued operation would pose a “direct and substantial threat to public health or safety” before a suspension can be maintained, and allowing drivers to present evidence about their driving record, criminal history, character, and the arrest itself.13NYC.gov. Summary Suspension Update14NYC Rules. 35 RCNY § 68-15 The 2021 rule change resolved the practice going forward. The $140 million fund is compensation for drivers suspended under the old rules.
NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi Desai called the settlement “historic, and long overdue,” saying it offers “a semblance of justice for so many drivers whose lives were destroyed when they were presumed guilty, stripped of due process, and left unable to work.”9Documented. Taxi Driver TLC NYTWA Settlement
Not the Same as the Rothenberg Revocation Case
A different class action, Rothenberg et al. v. Daus et al., No. 08-CV-00567, covered TLC license revocations based solely on off-duty convictions for driving while ability impaired, and it reached a proposed settlement back in 2017 with payments of $34,840 or $26,130 depending on the driver’s hearing status. That case covered events between January 2005 and January 2014 and involves a different class of drivers and a different TLC sanction.15NYC.gov. Class Action Settlement Notice, Rothenberg v. Daus Eligibility in Rothenberg does not create eligibility in Nnebe, and vice versa.