Dovenmuehle Phone Fee Settlement

The $425 figure is an estimate, not a guaranteed payment amount. The $9 million fund also pays notice and administration costs, any court-approved attorneys’ fees and expenses, and the service award before payments are calculated.

• Payments are based on how many qualifying Pay to Pay Fees a class member paid, not a fixed amount per person.
• The notice estimates about $425 for each qualifying fee after deductions, but the actual amount can change.
• There can be only one total payment for a class member, and co-borrowers on the same loan receive one payment together.

A mailed check is the default payment method. If you move, tell the Settlement Administrator your new address. Checks are valid for 120 days; the Administrator may reissue a check once for another 90 days if you show good cause.

• Do nothing to receive a paper check if the settlement is approved, becomes final and effective, and you stay in the class.
• To choose electronic delivery, select PayPal, Venmo, or direct deposit through the Settlement Website.
• The notice does not give a mailing or payment date. It says payment depends on final approval and the settlement becoming effective.

The notice does not state what a possible second payment would be worth or when it would be sent.

• If money remains after the listed costs are paid, class members may receive a second distribution.
• A second payment is not guaranteed. It will be made only if the cost to send it is not prohibitive.

The notice does not state the Effective Date, so it does not provide a calendar date for when the five-year period begins or ends.

• Dovenmuehle agrees to stop charging or collecting Pay-to-Pay Fees from North Carolina borrowers for five years after the Effective Date.
• That commitment has an exception: it may change if the law changes after the Effective Date to authorize those charges.

Mass opt-outs are invalid.

• Leaving the settlement is called opting out. You would not receive a settlement payment, but you would keep any claim you may have against Dovenmuehle about the matter.
• Mail a personally signed exclusion letter to the Settlement Administrator, postmarked by September 23, 2026.
• The letter must identify the case, give the requesting person’s name and address, and clearly say that the person wants to be excluded.
• If one borrower on a loan opts out, every borrower on that account is treated as opting out.

You cannot object if you opt out. The notice says an objection may be waived if it is not made by the deadline.

• If you remain in the settlement, you may object by filing a written objection with the Clerk of Court by September 23, 2026.
• Your objection must include the case name and number, your contact information, the reason for your objection, whether you plan to attend the hearing, and dates when you are available for a deposition.
• You do not need to attend the hearing to object. If you want to appear and speak, you must file a notice of intention to appear by the same deadline.

At this hearing, the court will consider whether to give final approval to the settlement.

• The court hearing is scheduled for November 5, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., at the L. Richardson Preyer Courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina.
• You may attend unless you opt out, but you do not have to attend.
• The hearing date or time can change. The notice says to call the Settlement Administrator in advance if you plan to attend.

The notice describes the release in broad legal terms. The full Settlement Agreement has the precise terms.

• If you stay in the settlement and receive benefits, you release Dovenmuehle and the other released parties from claims covered by the settlement.
• The release covers claims related to the convenience fees described in the lawsuit and the 13,427 transactions identified in Dovenmuehle’s records.
• Opting out is the option that preserves your ability to pursue your own claims.