If you (1) were arrested in the District of Columbia on at least one occasion solely for blocking passage (also known as incommoding); (2) your arrest occurred on or after September 18, 2014; and (3) you were never criminally charged for blocking passage, or any charges against you were dropped by prosecutors, you may be eligible for compensation.

What is this lawsuit about?

Alexander v. District of Columbia is a class action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit alleges that the District of Columbia has a policy or practice of arresting people without probable cause for blocking passage or incommoding and doing so in a racially discriminatory way. The Plaintiff in this case sued the Defendant, the District of Columbia and claims that the Defendant violated the Fourth Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. Money damages, declaratory judgment, the expungement of arrest records, and attorney’s fees and costs have been sought against Defendant. The Defendant denies all of these allegations.

Who is included?

Class Members in this case meet the following three criteria: (1) were arrested in the District of Columbia on at least one occasion solely for blocking passage (also known as incommoding); (2) the arrest occurred on or after September 18, 2014; and (3) were never criminally charged for blocking passage, or any charges against you were dropped by prosecutors. If you meet these criteria based on the District’s records, you are part of the Class.

What Benefits are Available?

If it is determined that you are a member of the Class, and you file a claim within the time set by the Court, you will be entitled to compensation from the Class Fund. To qualify for a payment from the settlement, you need to complete and submit a claim form to the Claims Administrator postmarked no later than July 25, 2023.

The District of Columbia has agreed to create a fund of up to $290,000 to be distributed among all Class Members who send in a valid Claim Form that meets all the requirements in the Settlement Agreement. Class Members who send in a valid Claim Form may also be eligible to seek expungement of their arrest records.