Central Booking Lawsuit: Up to $475 Per Detention, Claims Close October 19, 2026
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The central booking lawsuit in the news is New York City’s $21.5 million settlement of three federal class actions over conditions in its Central Booking facilities. If you were held at Brooklyn Central Booking between April 8, 2017 and December 27, 2019, or at any NYC Central Booking between February 3, 2020 and March 1, 2023, you can claim up to $475 for each detention. The claim deadline is October 19, 2026. You must file to get paid.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Lawsuits Say Happened
Central Booking is where people arrested by the NYPD are held before they see a judge. New York City runs one in each borough: 120 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn, 215 East 161st Street in the Bronx, 100 Centre Street in Manhattan, 125-01 Queens Boulevard in Queens and 26 Central Avenue on Staten Island.
The lawsuits allege that the City held detainees in unconstitutional conditions and so violated their rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The first case covered Brooklyn only. Later cases covered every borough.
The City denies it did anything wrong. The court has not decided in favor of either side. The settlement resolves the claims without a ruling.
Case Details
Three cases in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York are being settled together, before Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis: Brennan et al. v. The City of New York et al., No. 1:19-cv-2054; Aboubakar et al. v. The City of New York et al., No. 1:20-cv-01716; and Capobianco et al. v. The City of New York et al., No. 1:21-cv-06125. The official site is CentralBookingSettlement.com.
Not the same case: a separate federal suit in Baltimore challenges release delays at Maryland’s Central Booking and Intake Center. In June 2026 a judge let it proceed as a class action for more than 13,000 people, according to the Baltimore Sun. No settlement or claim form has been reported in that case.
Status: Settled, Claims Open Until October 19, 2026
Payments are made only if the court gives final approval. The official notice says payment is likely by the end of 2026. Our news coverage has more detail: the $21.5 million settlement and the October 19 deadline, and legal fees and the child support lien.
Don't miss the claim deadline
Claims are due by October 19, 2026. We'll email you 7 days and 1 day before the deadline.
Who Can Claim
You are in the class if you were detained:
— at Brooklyn Central Booking between April 8, 2017 and December 27, 2019, or
— at any NYC Central Booking facility between February 3, 2020 and March 1, 2023.
The count comes from City records. Each detention is tied to a unique NYPD arrest number. Notices were sent because NYDOC records show the recipient was held during the class period. If you were held but got no notice, you can still file before October 19, 2026, or call the administrator at 1-833-749-4297.
Think the number of detentions in your notice is wrong? Contact the administrator. They will check with the parties and give you a final calculation.
How Much You Get, and What Can Reduce It
Two things can lower that:
Too many claims. If claimed detentions add up to more than 45,263, every payment is cut pro rata. 45,263 times $475 is about $21.5 million.
Liens. The City may deduct unpaid child support, Medicare liens, and docketed parking or Environmental Control Board judgments. Parking and ECB deductions are capped at $120 per detention.
Nothing else comes out of your share. Lawyers’ fees of up to $2.95 million, the $650,000 in service awards and administration costs are paid separately. Money nobody claims goes back to the City, not to other claimants.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 182,728 other civil rights casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2026, 1.2% of them filed as class actions:
- 19% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 9.1% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 19% and 28.1%.
- 15.1% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 63 reached a trial (1.6%), after a median of 31.2 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 7 months.
- Only 1,316 of them (0.7%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $248,500.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal other civil rights cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Central Booking Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
April 2019 — Brooklyn Case Filed
Brennan v. The City of New York (1:19-cv-2054) challenges conditions at Brooklyn Central Booking.
- 2
April 2020 and November 2021 — Two More Cases
Aboubakar (1:20-cv-01716) and Capobianco (1:21-cv-06125) are filed in the Eastern District of New York and extend the claims to every Central Booking facility.
- 3
May 22, 2026 — Settlement Signed
The City agrees to pay up to $21.5 million, up to $475 per detention. It denies wrongdoing.
- 4
October 5, 2026 — Opt-Out and Objection Deadline
This was the last day to exclude yourself or object. It has passed.
- 5
October 19, 2026 — Claim Deadline
Claims must be filed online or postmarked by this date. If you don’t file, you get no payment but are still bound by the settlement.
- 6
October 22, 2026 — Final Approval Hearing
Judge Garaufis decides whether to approve the settlement at 11:00 a.m. in Brooklyn. Payment follows approval and any appeals.
Three Things to Watch For
This claim form asks for your Social Security number and pays out by app, so it attracts imposters:
Look-alike claim sites asking for your SSN
The real claim form asks for your Social Security number, so copycat pages ask for it too. File only at CentralBookingSettlement.com or by mail to the administrator. A site that charges a fee is not the settlement.
“Send us your Venmo or Zelle to get paid”
You choose PayPal, Venmo or Zelle on the official claim form. Nobody should text or call asking you to confirm an app handle, send a test payment, or pay a fee before you get your money.
“We can clear your lien for a fee”
Child support, parking and ECB deductions are written into the settlement. Nobody can remove them for a fee. If you think a deduction is wrong, call the administrator at 1-833-749-4297.
Central Booking Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Why did I receive a notice of class action settlement?
The notice says you received it because NYDOC records show you were held in a Central Booking facility during the class period. Keep it. It has the claim form, and to confirm how many detentions the City counted for you, contact the administrator.
How does central booking work?
After an NYPD arrest, people are held at their borough’s Central Booking facility before they see a judge. There are five: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. This settlement covers time held there, not the arrest or the criminal case itself.
Is the Central Booking settlement real?
Yes. It settles three federal class actions in the Eastern District of New York. The official site is CentralBookingSettlement.com. The administrator’s phone number is 1-833-749-4297 and its email is info@CentralBookingSettlement.com.
What is the deadline?
Claims must be filed by October 19, 2026, either online or by mail postmarked by that date. The October 5, 2026 opt-out and objection deadline has passed.
How much will I get?
Up to $475 for each detention in the class period. Payments are cut pro rata if claimed detentions exceed 45,263. Child support, Medicare liens and parking or ECB judgments can also be deducted, with parking and ECB capped at $120 per detention.
When will I be paid?
Only after final approval. The hearing is October 22, 2026. Under the agreement, the City funds payments 60 days after the final approval order, or after any appeals end. The notice says payment is likely by the end of 2026.
Do the lawyers’ fees come out of my payment?
No. Class counsel may ask for up to $2.95 million in fees and costs, paid separately by the City. The notice says this money will not come out of the class fund.
What if I do nothing?
You get no money, and you still give up the right to sue the City over the same Central Booking conditions. Filing a claim costs nothing.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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