COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) – If you had your driver’s license laminated between July 2018 and July 2019, you may be entitled to a free soda — or a candy bar or something.
That was when Ohio deputy registrars unlawfully charged a $1.50 fee to laminate driver’s licenses and ID cards, as alleged by a class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 against the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, according to a news release from the Ohio BMV.
The lawsuit alleges state constitutional violations and unjust enrichment that requires restitution. Attorneys are now working to get Ohio motorists’ hard-earned money back.
Ohio’s Court of Claims certified the class in 2020. Anyone who paid a lamination fee between July 2, 2018, and July 2, 2019, at one of Ohio’s 179 BMV locations — or had someone pay it on their behalf — is part of the class.
The BMV disputes the claims. The court has not yet ruled on the merits of the case.
The court-appointed attorneys, Marc Dann of Dann Law, can be reached at 216-373-0539, and Thomas Zimmerman Jr. of Zimmerman Law Offices, can be reached at 312-440-0020. Their services are free for class members.
Class members who want to retain their own attorneys, however, need to exclude themselves from the class-action lawsuit. The deadline to file for exclusion is Nov. 6, 2023. The form to opt-out can be found here — but the website was not yet established as of Wednesday morning.