BY ORDER OF THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
If you paid a Service Fee to NovelPay in connection with NovelPay’s collection of charges arising from residential real property located in Maryland,
including rent and community association dues, during the period beginning April 19, 2018 through and including
December 26, 2024, you could be part of a Class Action Settlement.
The Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland authorized this notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer.
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Through a proposed Class Action Settlement, NovelPay, LLC (“NovelPay”) has agreed without any admission of wrongdoing to resolve a lawsuit over whether
NovelPay acted as a collection agency and charged Service Fees to Maryland tenants without a collection agency license or bond, allegedly in violation of Maryland law.
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The proposed Class Action Settlement avoids costs and risks from continuing the lawsuit, pays money to Settlement Class Members who file
Valid Claims, and releases NovelPay from liability to Settlement Class Members.
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Under the proposed Settlement, NovelPay will fund a common fund of $3,000,000 (the “Common Fund”). This Common Fund will be used to
make payments to all Settlement Class Members who file Valid Claims, after deducting Class Counsel’s Court-approved expenses and attorneys’ fees.
In return, Settlement Class Members give up any right to sue for claims resulting from, arising out of, or regarding the factual predicate alleged in the Lawsuit.
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Court-appointed lawyers for Settlement Class Members will ask the Court to approve a payment of 1/3 of the Common Fund as attorneys’ fees,
plus their expenses of litigation, for investigating the facts, litigating the case, and negotiating the Settlement.
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In addition, NovelPay has agreed to pay the costs of settlement administration, and to pay the Class Representative an incentive
payment of up to $15,000 in addition to the Common Fund, subject to Court Approval.
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The two sides disagree on whether a class action could have been maintained, whether NovelPay did anything wrong, and how much money was at stake.
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If you are a Settlement Class Member, your legal rights are affected whether you act, or don’t act.
Read the Notice carefully.
| LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS FOR SETTLEMENT CLASS MEMBERS:
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FILE A CLAIM
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If you paid a Service Fee to NovelPay in connection with NovelPay’s collection of charges arising from residential real property located in
Maryland, including rent and community association dues, during the period beginning April 19, 2018 through and including December 26, 2024,
you are a Settlement Class Member and you can file a claim online here, or download and mail a
Claim Form here or you can ask the Settlement Administrator to mail you a Claim Form by calling (833) 319-2034.
The deadline to file a claim is August 8, 2025.
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DO NOTHING
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If you do not file a Valid Claim, you will not receive any payment, even if you are a Settlement Class Member. You will still
be bound by the Settlement and will still release NovelPay from liability to you. If you remain in the Settlement Class, you can’t sue,
continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against NovelPay about the claims which were made or could have been made in the Lawsuit.
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EXCLUDE YOURSELF
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If you “opt-out” or exclude yourself, you will get no settlement benefits. This is the only option that allows you to ever bring an action
against NovelPay about legal claims sharing the factual predicate of the claims asserted in this case. If you wish to exclude yourself
from the Settlement, you must mail a request for exclusion to the Settlement Administrator postmarked no later than March 26, 2025,
as explained herein.
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OBJECT
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If you have objections, you may write to the Court about why you don’t like the Settlement. The deadline to object is March 26, 2025.
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GO TO A HEARING
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If you write to the Court with an objection, you can also ask to speak in Court about the fairness of the Settlement.
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These rights and options -- and the deadlines to exercise them -- are explained in this Notice.
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The Court in charge of this case still has to decide whether to approve the Settlement. Payments will be made if the Court approves the
Settlement and after any appeals are resolved. Please be patient.