Sequoia Equities California Security Deposit Settlement

• The class covers former residential tenants at the defendant's California apartment communities during the class period who had more than $125 in condition-based move-out charges taken from a security deposit, were reported to a collection agency for an alleged balance after the deposit was applied, or both.
• You must have been a lessee, co-lessee, or signer on the lease or final account statement. A person who lived in the unit but was not one of those people is not a class member.

• The Defamation Class receives 10% of the Net Settlement Fund, divided on a pro rata basis among class members. The notice says this payment is automatic; no Claim Form is needed.
• The Security Deposit Class receives 90% of the Net Settlement Fund. A person in that class must submit a valid Claim Form to receive a pro rata share.
• The notice uses the term “Net Settlement Fund” for the amount remaining after the listed administration costs, service payments, attorneys’ fees, and costs are deducted. Exact individual payments are not known yet.

• The notice’s example estimates that, if 30% of class members submit valid claims, eligible Security Deposit Class members would receive about 24.78% of the security deposit retained.
• That is only an estimate, not a promised payment. The notice says the specific payment depends on the retained deposit amount and/or collection referral, and on the number of eligible claims.
• A Security Deposit Class member is not eligible for that class’s cash payment if no more than $125 was retained from their deposit.

• Each lessee may make their own claim.
• If more than one person was a lessee in the same eligible household, they share the recovery for that unit. The notice’s example divides a $500 unit payment equally between two lessees, or $250 each.

• Send a signed, completed Claim Form by mail with a December 3, 2026 postmark, or upload and submit it by December 3, 2026.
• The notice says the Settlement Administrator may require other materials, but it does not identify what documents or other materials may be required. A signed form alone is not described as documentary proof of a loss.
• Defamation Class members do not need a Claim Form for their automatic pro rata payment.

• For Defamation Class members, the defendant will stop collection efforts for debts connected to money allegedly owed after the security deposit was used for damages.
• This does not include past-due rent or utilities that were owed and reported to a collection agency.
• The release section also says the Forgiven Debt Amount does not include debts that have already been reduced to a judgment.

• If you are in the Security Deposit Class and do nothing, you will not receive money and will still be bound by the settlement’s release if it is approved.
• If you are in the Defamation Class and do nothing, the notice says you will automatically receive your pro rata share.
• Unless you timely exclude yourself, the settlement can affect the covered claims you may bring individually if the court approves it.

• To leave the settlement, send the Settlement Administrator a written exclusion request that is postmarked by December 3, 2026.
• The request must include your name, address, telephone number, last four digits of your Social Security number, signature, and the exclusion statement set out in the notice.
• Leaving means you will receive no settlement money and will not receive the specified debt forgiveness or waiver.

• The final approval hearing is scheduled for January 13, 2027, in Department 39 of the Contra Costa County Superior Court, 725 Court St., Martinez, California.
• You do not have to attend. The notice says the date, time, or location can change without further notice.
• If approved and if you submitted a qualifying Claim Form, the notice estimates that a settlement share will be mailed about 30 days after final judgment, unless objections or appeals delay matters.

The notice contains two deadline formulations. Because it does not state when the administrator mailed the Class Notice, the 45-day date cannot be calculated from the notice alone. Review the full instructions before filing.

• Page 7 says a person making an objection must deliver to Class Counsel and file with the Court a Notice of Intention to Appear no later than 45 days after the Settlement Administrator mailed the Class Notice.
• Page 8 says the deadline for Claim Forms, exclusion requests, or objections is December 3, 2026.