How to Complete and Submit the TLC Settlement Authorization Form

If you are a New York City taxi or for-hire driver whose TLC license was suspended after an arrest between 2003 and 2020, you can claim your share of the $140 million Nnebe v. Daus settlement by submitting the TLC settlement claim form online at TLCSuspensionClaims.com, or by mail, email, or fax to the claims administrator.¹ You also need to send in a City of New York Substitute Form W-9 before any money can be paid. The court held its Final Approval Hearing on August 13, 2025, and as of April 2026 no payments have gone out because the judge has not yet issued final approval.

Who Can File a Claim

The class covers roughly 20,000 drivers who held a TLC license and had it suspended after an arrest at some point between 2003 and 2020.² If you received a claim form and class notice in the mail, the administrator has already flagged you as a likely class member from TLC records. If you did not receive one but think you qualify, you can still file through the settlement website or reach the administrator at info@TLCSuspensionClaims.com.³

One boundary to know: if you previously mailed a written request for exclusion before the opt-out deadline, you gave up any payment from this settlement. You kept the right to sue the city on your own, but you cannot file a claim now.

How to Submit the Form

Fill in your identifying information as it appeared on your TLC license, then sign and date the form. You have four ways to get it to the claims administrator.⁴

Online: Go to TLCSuspensionClaims.com and use the “Submit a Claim” button. This is the fastest route and avoids postal delays.
Mail: TLC Driver Suspension Case, Claims Administrator, P.O. Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799
Email: info@TLCSuspensionClaims.com
Fax: (714) 824-8591

If you mail the form, use certified mail with a return receipt. That gives you proof of the postmark date and delivery if a question ever arises about whether you filed on time.

Don’t Forget the W-9

The claim form alone is not enough to get paid. You also need to submit a City of New York Substitute Form W-9, which the city uses to report payments for tax purposes.³ You can send it with your claim form or later, but no check will issue without it. Skip this step and your approved claim will simply sit and wait.

How Much You’ll Receive

Your payment depends on how long your license was suspended. These are the initial per-person distribution caps in the settlement agreement, before deductions for attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs:³

25 days or fewer: $700
26–31 days: $750
32–60 days: $21,000
61–90 days: $24,000
91–120 days: $27,000
121–210 days: $30,000
211–390 days: $33,000
391 days or more: $36,000
No suspension end date on file: $17,000

Notice the jump between 31 days and 32 days. If your suspension is anywhere near that boundary, check your records carefully before you file.

There is also a reduction that catches many drivers by surprise. If you did not request an individual damages hearing, you receive 37.5 percent of the amount that would otherwise apply to your suspension category.³ A 60-day suspension without a damages hearing tops out at $7,875 rather than $21,000.

What the Affirmation on the Form Means

The form is short, but the signature line requires an affirmation that some drivers do not expect. You must state, under signature, two things:³

That had a constitutionally adequate post-suspension hearing been available, you would have requested one to challenge your suspension.
That you believe in good faith you would have succeeded at that hearing and had your suspension lifted.

Put plainly: if the TLC had given you a real chance to fight the suspension, you would have fought it, and you believe you would have won. The settlement is compensating drivers who were denied a fair process, so this affirmation is the legal core of the claim. If you cannot make that statement honestly, the form is not for you.

What Happens After You File

The administrator matches your information against TLC records for 2003–2020 to confirm you held a license, that it was suspended after an arrest during the class period, and that you did not opt out. If anything is missing or does not match, you will get a deficiency notice. Respond to it promptly — claims that go unfixed can be denied.

No money moves until the court grants final approval. The Final Approval Hearing was held on August 13, 2025, and as of April 2026 the ruling has not come down.¹ Check TLCSuspensionClaims.com for updates. Once approval issues, the administrator will calculate individual payouts and begin sending funds.

What Happens If You Don’t File

Doing nothing costs you twice. You get no money, and you are still bound by the settlement — meaning you release your claims against the city over the suspensions and cannot bring your own lawsuit later.³ The opt-out window to preserve an independent lawsuit has already closed. Filing the claim is the only way to be compensated.

Are Settlement Payments Taxable

Yes, almost certainly. Federal tax law excludes from gross income only damages received on account of personal physical injuries or physical sickness.⁵ This settlement compensates lost income from a suspended license, not physical injury, so payments will be taxable as ordinary income. Expect a tax reporting form from the administrator after payment.⁶ Set aside a portion of the payout for taxes when it arrives.

1
TLC Suspension Class Action Settlement. TLC Suspension Class Action Settlement
2
Documented. Justice for NYC Taxi Drivers: Landmark $140 Million Settlement Reached
3
TLC Suspension Class Action Settlement. FAQs – TLC Suspension Class Action Settlement
4
TLC Suspension Class Action Settlement. Contact – TLC Suspension Class Action Settlement
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 104 – Compensation for Injuries or Sickness
6
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 1099 (2026), General Instructions for Certain Information Returns