Welcome To The Web site For The Claims Administrator
In The Settlement Of The Television Writers' Cases.
About Garden City Group, Inc. Garden City Group, Inc. has been in the business of managing the claims process in class action settlements for many years. Our primary job is to receive the claim forms submitted by settlement class members who wish to share in the settlement, enter the information in a data base, and implement the allocation of settlement awards according to a formula that is approved by the presiding judge. We have contracted with Class Counsel to perform these services in connection with the $70 million settlement of the 19 Television Writers Cases. Class Counsel has a separate web site which you can access by clicking here. However, Garden City can also provide you with forms of assistance which are described below.
Obtain a Claim Form. If you believe you are a member of the settlement class and want a claim form, click here. Remember that the postmark deadline for mailing your claim form to us is April 13, 2010. Submit only one claim form. Garden City is required by the Court and our agreement with Class Counsel to keep your claim forms confidential in accordance with the terms of the Settlement Agreements.
Read a Summary of the Settlement. The linked document provides a detailed summary of settlement terms. Click here.
Read other Settlement Documents. There are numerous settlement documents, including the Settlement Agreements themselves. There is a settlement agreement for each of the nineteen cases, although the operative terms are all the same. You can read a Settlement Agreement, and any of the other documents, if you click here.
Find out who the parties in the cases are. Click here if you want to know the names of the defendants and plaintiffs in these 19 cases.
Status of Claims Processing. If you want to know what progress we’re making in processing the claim forms, we will begin posting status reports at the end of the claims filing period. After April 16, 2010, you can click here to see how many have been filed.
Confidentiality. Garden City is happy to answer your questions about the claim form or other aspects of the settlement that do not require legal advice. But we are not representing you as attorneys. Thus, if you call us for information, you should know that these conversations are not privileged. If you want confidential advice about completing or filing your claim form, or legal advice about any matter related to the settlement, you should call Class Counsel or your own lawyer. You can get legal advice from Class Counsel about your claim at no charge. Click here to go to Class Counsel’s Web site for contact information.
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA WEST OR THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST (WGA) TO REQUEST INFORMATION TO COMPLETE YOUR CLAIM FORM.
If you want the claims administrator to use the WGA data showing your income earned as a TV writer, you should sign the waiver in section V of the claim form. The information the claims administrator receives from the WGA is confidential and subject to protective orders. The information will not be made available to anyone except the claims administrator, class counsel, and the court for purposes of determining awards. You should not contact the WGA to obtain the information yourself. If you need other information from the WGA to enable a response on the claim form, call class counsel at 877-518-7090. Please remember the deadline to file a claim is April 13, 2010, and we do not expect any exceptions can be made.