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Githieya v. Global Tel Lin, GA, Notice of Filing, Prepaid Phone Account, 2021

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Case 1:15-cv-00986-AT Document 329 Filed 12/14/21 Page 1 of 3

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
ATLANTA DIVISION
BENSON GITHIEYA, et al.,
Plaintiffs,
v.

CIVIL ACTION NO:
1:15-CV-00986-AT

GLOBAL TEL*LINK CORP.,
Defendant.
PLAINTIFFS’ NOTICE OF FILING
Per the Court’s request at the teleconference on December 10, 2021,
Plaintiffs hereby file the following supplemental class notice materials in support
of their Unopposed Motion for Preliminary Approval. Plaintiffs respectfully
request the Court approve these forms of notice in connection with its order
preliminarily approving the settlement and directing the form of notice to be issued
to the class.
• Prison Legal News Advertisement (attached hereto as Exhibit A).1
• Social Media Advertisement Content (attached hereto as Exhibit B).
[signature on next page]

1

This version replaces and supersedes Exhibit F to the Declaration of
Tiffaney Janowicz [dkt. 326-3], by adding “or to File a Claim” in bold font to the
bottom of the advertisement.
1

Case 1:15-cv-00986-AT Document 329 Filed 12/14/21 Page 2 of 3

Respectfully submitted this 14th day of December, 2021.
/s/ Michael A. Caplan
Michael A. Caplan
James W. Cobb
T. Brandon Waddell
Sarah Brewerton-Palmer
Ashley C. Brown
CAPLAN COBB LLP
75 Fourteenth Street, NE, Suite 2750
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
(404) 596-5600 – Office
(404) 596-5604 – Facsimile
mcaplan@caplancobb.com
jcobb@caplancobb.com
bwaddell@caplancobb.com
spalmer@caplancobb.com
abrown@caplancobb.com
Barry Goldstein, admitted pro hac vice
Linda M. Dardarian, admitted pro hac vice
GOLDSTEIN, BORGEN, DARDARIAN & HO
155 Grand Avenue, Suite 900
Oakland, California 94612
(510) 763-9800
bgoldstein@gbdhlegal.com
ldardarian@gbdhlegal.com
James Radford
Georgia Bar No. 108007
RADFORD & KEEBAUGH, LLC
315 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.
Suite 1080
Decatur, Georgia 30030
(678) 271-0300
james@decaturlegal.com
Plaintiffs’ and Class Counsel

2

Case 1:15-cv-00986-AT Document 329 Filed 12/14/21 Page 3 of 3

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that, on this day, I caused a true and correct copy of the
foregoing document to be filed with the clerk’s office using this Court’s CM/ECF
system, which will automatically send notice of such filing to all counsel of record.
This 14th day of December, 2021.
/s/ Michael A. Caplan
Michael A. Caplan
Georgia Bar No. 601039
CAPLAN COBB LLP
75 Fourteenth Street, NE, Suite 2750
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
(404) 596-5600 – Office
(404) 596-5604 – Facsimile
mcaplan@caplancobb.com

3

Case 1:15-cv-00986-AT Document 329-1 Filed 12/14/21 Page 1 of 2

Exhibit A

Legal Notice

986-AT Document 329-1 Filed 12/14
Did you use Global Tel*Link services
to receive inmate phone calls
between 2011 and 2021?

You could get benefits from a settlement
There is a class action Settlement with Global Tel*Link
(“GTL”). The lawsuit claims that GTL improperly
retained money that was deposited in prepaid
“AdvancePay” accounts after the account was inactive
for 180 days or less. GTL denies any and all wrongdoing
of any kind, and denies any liability.
Who is included in the Settlement?
The Class includes anyone who (1) established and
initially funded a prepaid account through GTL’s
automated telephone system (also called interactivevoice-response or IVR) and (2) had a positive account
balance that was reduced to $0.00 due to account
inactivity for 180 days or less from April 3, 2011, until
October 6, 2021.
What does the Settlement provide?
GTL will provide up to $67 million that will pay (1)
credits/refunds to eligible Class Members, (2) the costs of
notice and administration, (3) attorneys’ fees and costs,
and (4) special service payments to Class Representatives.
GTL has also agreed to change its Inactivity Policy to
benefit Class Members and others. Additional details are
in the Settlement Agreement available on the website.
How can I get a payment?
If you have an active GTL AdvancePay account at the time
the Settlement is finally approved in mid to late 2022, you
will receive an automatic credit to your account. If you
have or will have an inactive GTL AdvancePay account
at the time the Settlement is approved, you need to submit
a Claim Form online or by mail by Month XX, 2022 to
receive a refund. If you are not sure you will continue to use
your GTL AdvancePay account through 2022, you should
file a claim. Anyone who has both active and inactive GTL
AdvancePay accounts will receive an automatic credit on
the active account but will need to file a claim for their
inactive account(s) to get a refund.
GTL will credit or refund 100% of the amount that GTL
retained from your account due to inactivity. Payments
to former customers may be reduced if the total credits/
refunds exceed the available Settlement fund.
What are my rights?
Even if you do nothing, you will be bound by the Court’s
decisions. Former GTL customers who do nothing will
receive no refund (unless they reactivate their account
within two years of final approval and funds remain
available, in which case they may be eligible to receive
a credit). If you want to keep your right to sue GTL
yourself, you must exclude yourself from the Settlement
by Month XX, 2022. If you stay in the Settlement but do
not agree with the terms, you may object to it by Month
XX, 2022.
The Court will hold a hearing on Month XX, 2022 to
consider whether to approve the Settlement, a request for
attorneys’ fees and costs up to $18,675,000, and special
service payments of $25,000. You or your lawyer may
appear and speak at the hearing at your own expense.

For More Information or to File a Claim:
1-8XX-XXX-XXXX
www.XXXXXX.com

Case 1:15-cv-00986-AT Document 329-2 Filed 12/14/21 Page 1 of 2

Exhibit B

Case 1:15-cv-00986-AT Document 329-2 Filed 12/14/21 Page 2 of 2

SOCIAL MEDIA ADS
These ads show up in a user’s feed along with the content that they see from
people/groups/hashtags/pins that they follow. When a user clicks anywhere on the ad, they are
taken to the case website. Ads will include an image.
Promoted Facebook Post
This is an important message for anyone who set up and funded, through an automated
telephonic system, a prepaid account with used Global Tel*Link services (“GTL”) to receive
inmate phone calls between 2011 and 2021. You could receive money or other benefits from a
settlement involving monies retained under GTL’s policy of deeming accounts inactive due to
90-180 days of inactivity. For more information or to file a claim visit:
GTLPrePaidSettlement.com or call: 1-833-630-1412. Claims must be filed by Month XX, 2022.
Standard Response to Comments:
Please visit the website, GTLPrePaidSettlement.com, or call 1-833-630-1412 for
more information or to file a claim.
-----------------------Facebook News Feed Ads
Specifications (includes space):
Headline: 40 characters
Body: 125 characters
Link Description: 50 characters
Version 1
Headline: Global Tel*Link services settlement (35)
Body: Did you receive inmate phone calls from 2011 to 2021? You could get money or other
benefits from a settlement. (110)
Link Description: Claims must be filed by Month XX, 2022. (~40)
Instagram Ads
Specifications (includes space): 2200 Characters (recommend 300 or less characters)
Version 1
Set up and fund a prepaid account through a Global Tel*Link automated telephone service to
receive inmate phone calls between 2011 and 2021? You could get money or other benefits from
a settlement. For more information or to file a claim visit: GTLPrePaidSettlement.com. Claims
must be filed by Month XX, 2022. (~265)