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California’s Riverside County Agrees to Reimburse Families $540K in Juvenile Detention Fees
Riverside County families who were subjected for many years to illegal collection of juvenile fees moved a step closer toward justice — in the form of cash reimbursements — after a court granted preliminary approval of a settlement in a class action lawsuit they brought against the County. The families are represented by the National Center for Youth Law and the Western Center on Law & Poverty in Freeman v. County of Riverside, a lawsuit that claims Riverside County illegally collected several million dollars in fees from families who had children in juvenile detention. The initial complaint filed by the plaintiffs in March 2020 alleged that Riverside County did not follow California law and the U.S. constitution when it charged families with fees. Under state law, the County was obligated to ensure families had the ability to pay fees they were assessed and inform families of their right to challenge the fees. The plaintiffs claimed that the County failed to fulfill these legal duties.
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