RALEIGH – Tyler Technologies has agreed to a proposed class-action settlement that would make up to $1.5 million available for claims by North Carolinians who allege they were wrongfully arrested or kept in jail too long because of problems with the state’s eCourts systems.
Plaintiffs filed an unopposed motion for preliminary approval Monday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The filing asks the court to approve the agreement on a preliminary basis, certify two settlement classes for settlement purposes and authorize public notice. The settlement is not final and no payments can begin unless the court approves it.
The agreement creates separate classes for alleged wrongful arrests tied to invalid warrants in the electronic warrant system and for people held in pretrial detention more than six hours after satisfying all conditions for release. The overdetention class covers eligible cases dating to Feb. 13, 2023, when eCourts first launched in four counties.
Individual payments would be capped at $5,000. For eligible overdetention claims, the agreement provides $500 for delays of more than six hours and up to 13 hours when release was on a secured bond, unsecured bond or written promise to appear, with $350 for each hour beyond 13. When all criminal charges were dismissed, the $500 base covers delays of more than six hours and up to 20 hours, with $350 for each hour beyond 20. Valid wrongful-arrest claims would pay $2,800 for each distinct arrest, subject to the settlement’s caps and claims process.
Tyler denies wrongdoing and liability, and the court has not ruled that the company caused the alleged arrests or detentions. The proposed settlement resolves claims only against Tyler. Claims against Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry L. McFadden would continue.
If the judge grants preliminary approval, the settlement administrator would publish notices and open a claims period. Class members could submit claims, object or request exclusion before a final approval hearing. The court would decide later whether the agreement is fair, reasonable and adequate.
Tyler developed Enterprise Justice, formerly called Odyssey, and the eWarrants system used by North Carolina courts and law enforcement. The state awarded the company a 10-year contract in 2019. The systems began rolling out in 2023 and later expanded statewide. The Assembly independently reported the new filing Monday and said potentially hundreds of people could qualify.
Sources
- U.S. District Court: unopposed motion and proposed class settlement
- The Assembly: eCourts settlement report
Photo Credit: North Carolina Supreme Court building photograph by Alexisrael via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Image cropped and resized.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.