New York Will Pay $475 for Every Trip Through Central Booking, and the $2.95 Million in Legal Fees Won't Come Out of It. One Sentence on the Last Page of the Claim Form Still Can.
Capobianco et al. v. The City of New York, Brennan et al. v. The City of New York and Aboubakar et al. v. The City of New York — Case Nos. 1:21-cv-06125, 1:19-cv-2054 and 1:20-cv-01716 in the Eastern District of New York. The City has agreed to pay up to $21,500,000 over conditions of confinement in its Central Booking facilities, and class members receive up to $475 for every time they were held there during the class period, with no cap on the number of visits. Two things in the long form notice appear in none of the coverage. Class counsel will ask for up to $2,950,000 in fees and costs, and the notice states plainly: “This money will not come out of the fund for the class.” But the claim form ends with a sentence that can: unpaid child support judgments become a lien the City will assert against your payment. Opt-outs and objections close October 5, 2026; claims close October 19, 2026.
By Settlement Insight Data Desk ·
Three lawsuits, one fund, and two class periods that do not overlap
The settlement resolves three consolidated cases in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York — Capobianco, Brennan and Aboubakar, all against The City of New York — over the conditions in which people were held at Central Booking. The City has agreed to pay up to $21,500,000 into a settlement fund. The parties agreed to settle in May 2026.
The class period is not one window but two, and confusing them is the easiest way to file a wrong claim:
- Brooklyn Central Booking only: April 8, 2017 to December 27, 2019.
- All Central Booking locations: February 3, 2020 to March 1, 2023. There is a Central Booking facility in each borough.
So a night in Bronx Central Booking in 2018 is outside the class; a night in the same facility in 2021 is inside it. Brooklyn is the only location covered by the earlier window.
The payment is up to $475 for every time you were held during the applicable period — per visit, not per person, and the notice sets no ceiling on how many visits you can claim. Divided evenly, $21.5 million covers roughly 45,000 visits at the full $475.
The fee structure is unusual, and it runs in your favour
In most class settlements the lawyers are paid out of the same pot as the class, so every dollar of fees is a dollar less for claimants. That is not what happens here. The notice states that counsel “will request, as part of the final approval of this Settlement, that the Court approve a payment of up to $2,950,000 total in attorneys' fees and costs,” and then adds the sentence that changes the arithmetic: “This money will not come out of the fund for the class.”
The notice is also explicit that the fee award is not automatic — “Lawyers' fees and expenses will only be awarded if approved by the Court as a fair and reasonable amount” — and that you may object to the fees even if you think the settlement itself is fair. To date, the notice says, class counsel have not been paid anything for their work or their expenses.
Practically, this means the headline number and the money available to claimants are much closer together here than in a typical settlement. It is a real difference, and it is the strongest thing in the document.
The sentence at the bottom of the claim form
The last page of the long form notice is the mail-in claim form. It asks for your name, the date, your signature — and your Social Security number. The form offers an alternative for people who would rather not put that in the post: “If you prefer to submit your Social Security Number as encrypted, please submit claim at www.CentralBookingSettlement.com.” If you are filing on paper, that is worth knowing before you seal the envelope.
Directly beneath it is the sentence that no coverage of this settlement has carried:
“If you have any unpaid child support judgments against you, in compliance with New York State law, the City of New York will also assert that lien, which will reduce your payment.”
That is the mechanism by which a $475-per-visit award can arrive smaller than expected, or not arrive at all. It is not a reason to skip filing — an offset against arrears is a debt discharged, not money lost — but it is a reason not to plan around the full figure. If you are unsure whether a judgment is outstanding against you, that is worth checking before the money is counted on.
You do not need records — the City already has them
This is the part that makes the settlement unusually easy to claim. Your payment is based on the number of times you were detained, and the count comes from the City's own records, not from anything you have to dig up. The notice says it twice: “You may confirm the number of times you were held in a Central Booking Facility by contacting the Settlement Administrator.”
If the count is wrong, there is a defined route. Tell the administrator; they “will consult with the parties and get back to you with a final calculation.” If you still disagree with that final calculation, your remaining options are to object or to opt out — which is a reason to raise a disputed count early rather than in the first week of October, when both of those doors close.
The dates, in order: October 5, 2026 to opt out or object, postmarked. October 19, 2026 to file a claim. The fairness hearing is October 22, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn. You do not have to attend. Payment, the notice says, will be sent after final approval, “likely by the end of 2026” — an expectation, not a guarantee, and appeals can move it.
Doing nothing has a cost here that is easy to underestimate. If you take no action you get no money and you are still bound: you will not be able to sue the City over the same issues. The administrator's helpline is 1-833-749-4297, and the official site is centralbookingsettlement.com, run by Angeion Group. A Spanish version of the notice is posted alongside the English one.
The Data Behind This Story
- Cases
- Capobianco et al.; Brennan et al.; and Aboubakar et al. v. The City of New York — Nos. 1:21-cv-06125, 1:19-cv-2054, 1:20-cv-01716
- Court
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- Settlement fund
- Up to $21,500,000, paid by The City of New York. The City denies wrongdoing
- Payment
- Up to $475 for every time you were held in a Central Booking facility during the class period. No cap on the number of visits stated in the notice
- Class period — Brooklyn only
- April 8, 2017 to December 27, 2019
- Class period — all locations
- February 3, 2020 to March 1, 2023. There is a Central Booking facility in each borough
- Proof required
- None. The count comes from the City's records; you can confirm your number of detentions with the administrator and dispute it if wrong
- Attorneys' fees
- Up to $2,950,000 in fees and costs — and the notice states this “will not come out of the fund for the class.” Subject to court approval; class members may object to the fees separately
- What can reduce your payment
- Unpaid child support judgments. The claim form states the City “will also assert that lien, which will reduce your payment”
- Claim form asks for
- Your Social Security number. It can be submitted encrypted by filing online instead of by post
- Claim deadline
- October 19, 2026
- Opt-out deadline
- October 5, 2026, postmarked
- Objection deadline
- October 5, 2026, postmarked
- Fairness hearing
- October 22, 2026 at 11:00 a.m., U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Attendance optional
- When money moves
- After final approval, “likely by the end of 2026” per the notice — an expectation, not a promise; appeals can delay it
- If you do nothing
- No payment, and you are still bound: you cannot sue the City over the same issues
- Administrator
- Angeion Group. Helpline 1-833-749-4297; centralbookingsettlement.com
- Source: Official settlement website centralbookingsettlement.com (Angeion Group), retrieved September 5, 2026
- Source: Central Booking Long Form Notice (11 pages), linked from that site: “What does the settlement provide?” and “How will my payment be calculated?”; the fee passage (“up to $2,950,000 total in attorneys' fees and costs … This money will not come out of the fund for the class”); “Getting Paid” (payment “likely by the end of 2026”); the most-important-dates table
- Source: The child support lien and the Social Security number request are quoted from the mail-in claim form on the final page of that notice
- Source: A Spanish version of the long form notice is posted alongside the English one on the same documents page
- Source: The figure of roughly 45,000 visits is our arithmetic on the published numbers ($21,500,000 ÷ $475)
Journalists: these figures are free to cite with attribution to Settlement Insight. Custom data pulls: press@settlementinsight.com.