State of North Carolina In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Division County of Jones Case No: 21 CvS 134 510 Carolina Lease Management Group, LLC v. Charles Greene Charles Greene, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, v. Carolina Lease Management Group, LLC Class Action Notice Authorized by the Superior Court for Jones County, North Carolina Did you enter a There is a 1 If you want to be rent-to-own million dollar part of the class agreement for a settlement of a action, you do not storage building lawsuit. need to do with Carolina anything. Lease You may be Management entitled to If not, you need to Group & they money. opt out by January tried to collect 7, 2026. from you on or after April 8, 2017, and on or before March 9, 2018? Important things to know: • If you take no action, you will be bound by the settlement, and your rights will be affected. • You can learn more and find Court documents at: www.greene- clmgsettlement.com. Table of Contents Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... 2 About This Notice ...................................................................................................... 3 Why did I get this notice? ................................................................................................. 3 What do I do next? ............................................................................................................ 3 What are the most important dates? ............................................................................. 3 Learning About the Lawsuit ..................................................................................... 4 What is this lawsuit about? .............................................................................................. 4 Why is there a settlement in this lawsuit? ..................................................................... 4 What happens next in this lawsuit?................................................................................ 4 Learning About the Settlement ............................................................................... 5 What does the settlement provide? ............................................................................... 5 How much will my payment be? ..................................................................................... 6 Deciding What to Do .................................................................................................. 6 How do I weigh my options? ........................................................................................... 6 What is the best path for me? ......................................................................................... 7 How do I get a payment if I am a class member?......................................................... 8 Do I have a lawyer in this lawsuit? .................................................................................. 8 Do I have to pay the lawyers in this lawsuit? ................................................................ 8 Opting Out .................................................................................................................. 9 What if I don't want to be part of this settlement?....................................................... 9 How do I opt out? ............................................................................................................. 9 Objecting..................................................................................................................... 9 What if I disagree with the settlement? ......................................................................... 9 Key Resources .......................................................................................................... 10 How do I get more information? .................................................................................. 10 2 About This Notice Why did I get this notice? A class action counterclaim was filed, Greene v. Carolina Lease Management Group, LLC., brought on behalf of people who entered rent-to-own contracts with Carolina Lease Management Group (CLMG) and from whom CLMG tried to collect money. You received this notice because you may be a member of the group of people affected, called the “class.” This notice gives you a summary of the terms of the proposed agreement, explains what rights class members have, and helps class members make decisions about what action to take. What do I do next? Read this notice to understand the settlement and to determine if you are a class member. Then, decide which of these actions you want to take: Options What each option means: Do Nothing (or You will receive a check at the address where you provide specific received this notice. You will be bound by the payment info) settlement. If you’d like payment in another form, you can submit that information on the website. Opt Out Get no payment. Allows you to bring another lawsuit against Carolina Lease Management Group about the same issues. Object Tell the Court why you don’t like the settlement. Read on to understand the specifics of the settlement and what each choice would mean for you. What are the most important dates? Your deadline to object: January 2, 2026. Your deadline to opt out: January 7, 2026. Settlement approval hearing: January 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. 3 Learning About the Lawsuit What is this lawsuit about? When Carolina Lease Management Group, Where can I learn LLC sued Charles Greene to recover a shed more? he was buying under a rent-to-own You can get a complete agreement, he filed a class counterclaim copy of the proposed asserting that Carolina Lease Management settlement and other key Group, LLC, violated North Carolina laws documents in this lawsuit regarding how much they could charge on his at: www.greene- and similar agreements. clmgsettlement.com Carolina Lease Management Group denies that it did anything wrong. Why is there a settlement in this lawsuit? In April 2025, the parties agreed to settle, What is a class action which means they have reached an agreement to resolve the lawsuit. Both sides settlement? want to avoid the cost and risk of continuing A class action settlement is the case in court. an agreement between the parties to resolve and The settlement is for Mr. Greene and all end the case. Settlements members of the settlement class. The Court can provide money to has not decided this case in favor of either class members and side. changes to the practices that caused the harm. What happens next in this lawsuit? The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement. The hearing will be held at: Where: Jones County Courthouse, Superior Court, at 101 Market Street, Trenton, North Carolina, 28585. When: 10:00 a.m. on January 22, 2026. The Court has directed the parties to send you this notice about the 4 proposed settlement. Because the settlement of a class action decides the rights of all members of the proposed class, the Court must give final approval to the settlement before it can take effect. Payments will only be made if the Court approves the settlement. You do not have to attend the hearing, but you may at your own expense. You may also ask the Court for permission to speak and express your opinion about the settlement. If the Court does not approve the settlement, it will not take effect and the lawsuit will continue. The date of the hearing may change without further notice to members of the class. To learn more and confirm the hearing date, go to www.greene-clmgsettlement.com. Learning About the Settlement What does the settlement provide? Carolina Lease Management Group has agreed to pay $1,001,671.13 into a settlement fund. This money will be divided among the class members and will also be used to pay for costs and lawyer fees approved by the Court, and for the cost of administering this settlement. Members of the settlement class will “release” their claims as part of the settlement, which means they cannot sue Carolina Lease Management Group for the same issues and legal violations raised in this lawsuit. The full terms of the release can be found at www.greene- clmgsettlement.com. The settlement also requires Carolina Lease Management Group to stop all debt collection and lawsuits on class member accounts related to this case and to cancel any judgments on these accounts. The settlement also provides that the Court will be asked to approve payments of $10,000 to Charles Greene, who brought this lawsuit, to compensate him for his work on the case. This payment is called a "service payment." If there is money left over after all payments are made, it will be distributed in accordance with G.S. § 1-267.10. 5 How much will my payment be? Your payment amount will depend on the following factors: • The amount you paid to CLMG between April 8, 2017, and March 9, 2018, on the rent-to-own contract. • The amounts that other class members paid to CLMG during those same dates, on their rent-to-own contracts. • The amount of the lawyer fees, costs, and service payments approved by the Court. Deciding What to Do How do I weigh my options? You have three options. You can do nothing and stay in the settlement, you can opt out of the settlement, or you can object to the settlement. This chart shows how your rights are affected by each option: Do Opt out Object nothing Can I receive settlement YES NO YES money if I . . . Am I bound by the terms YES NO YES of this lawsuit if I . . . Can I pursue my own NO YES NO case if I . . . Will the class lawyers YES NO NO represent me if I . . . 6 What is the best path for me? Are you satisfied with the proposed settlement? Yes No Do nothing & receive Do you want to file a payment your own lawsuit or not be bound by this lawsuit? Yes No Opt out of the I don't like the settlement proposed settlement Object in writing* *You can object to the settlement AND receive payment. 7 How do I get a payment if I am a class member? If you wish to receive a check mailed to the address where you received the postcard letting you know about this settlement, you can do nothing. If you wish to receive a payment by some other method, you can make that request on www.greene-clmgsettlement.com by January 22, 2026. Do I have a lawyer in this lawsuit? In a class action, the court appoints lawyers to work on the case and represent the interests of all the class members. For this settlement, the Court has appointed the following lawyers. Your lawyers: Adrian Lapas, Lapas Offices, PLLC and Charles Delbaum and Jennifer Wagner, National Consumer Law Center. These are the lawyers who negotiated this settlement on your behalf. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense. Do I have to pay the lawyers in this lawsuit? Lawyers' fees and costs will be paid from the Settlement Fund. You will not have to pay the lawyers directly. To date, your lawyers have not been paid any money for their work or the expenses they have paid for the case. To pay for some of their time and risk in bringing this case without any guarantee of payment unless they were successful, your lawyers will request, as part of the final approval of this Settlement, that the Court approve a payment of up to $330,551.47 total in attorneys’ fees plus the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses. Lawyers' fees and expenses will only be awarded if approved by the Court as a fair and reasonable amount. You have the right to object to the lawyers' fees even if you think the settlement terms are fair. 8 Opting Out What if I don't want to be part of this settlement? You can opt out. If you do, you will not receive payment and cannot object to the settlement. However, you will not be bound or affected by anything that happens in this lawsuit and may be able to file your own case. How do I opt out? To opt out of the settlement, you must complete the opt out form available on the case website, www.greene-clmgsettlement.com and mail it by January 7, 2026 to the Settlement Administrator at: Greene v. CLMG Class Action c/o Settlement Administrator PO Box 23680 Jacksonville, FL 32241-3680 (800) 501-9615 Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, and signature. Objecting What if I disagree with the settlement? If you disagree with any part of the settlement (including the lawyers' fees) but don’t want to opt out, you may object. You must give reasons why you think the Court should not approve the settlement and say whether your objection applies to just you, a part of the class, or the entire class. The Court will consider your views. The Court can only approve or deny the settlement — it cannot change the terms of the settlement. You may, but don’t have to, hire your own lawyer to help you. 9 To object, you must mail your letter to the Clerk of Court. Your letter must: (1) be postmarked or filed with the Clerk of Court by January 2, 2026; (2) include the case name and number: Greene v. Carolina Lease Management Group, LLC, 21 CvS 134 510; (3) include your full name, address and telephone number, and email address (if you have one); (4) state the reasons for your objection; (5) say whether you or your lawyer intend to appear at the final approval hearing and your lawyer's name; (6) be signed by you. Mail the letter to: Jones County Clerk of Superior Court Attn: Civil Division Post Office Box 280 Trenton, NC 28585 Key Resources How do I get more information? This notice is a summary of the proposed settlement. The complete settlement with all its terms can be found on the case website. To get a copy of the settlement agreement or get answers to your questions: • contact the Settlement Administrator (information below) • visit the case website at www.greene-clmgsettlement.com Resource Contact Information Case website www.greene-clmgsettlement.com Settlement Greene v CLMG Class Action Administrator PO Box 23680 Jacksonville, FL 32241-3680 (800) 501-9615 10 Your Lawyers Adrian M. Lapas Lapas Law Offices, PLLC P.O. Box 10688 Goldsboro, NC 27532 Charles Delbaum Jennifer Wagner National Consumer Law Center 7 Winthrop Square Boston, MA 02110 11