Frequently Asked Questions

This is a Court-authorized notice of a proposed settlement in a class action lawsuit. If you received this notice by mail, you have been identified as an individual who received an 001 letter from PRA dated prior to November 18, 2021, inclusive, and to whom PRA subsequently, within thirty days, mailed its 34 letter on the same account, where the second letter was dated beginning November 19, 2019, and therefore, you have been identified a member of the Settlement Class.

In 2020, Sebastian Marinescu and Troy Fondren received an 001 and 34 letter from PRA. Marinescu and Fondren raised claims against PRA that these letters were deceptive in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692, et seq.).
 

PRA denied Marinescu and Fondren’s allegations and raised various defenses. The Court did not rule for or against any party on the merits of the claims, but the parties have reached the proposed settlement announced here.
 

Without admitting any fault or liability, and in exchange for a release of all claims against PRA regarding the letters at issue, PRA has agreed to make $75,000 (the “Settlement Fund”) available to pay all settlement class members who submit the attached claim form.  You have received this notice because you have been identified as a class member, and therefore you might be entitled to a payment from the Settlement Fund. 
 

In addition to the Settlement Fund, PRA has also agreed to give a credit in the amount of $16.75 to those class members whose accounts are collectible and have an outstanding balance of at least $16.75. PRA has also agreed to pay an incentive award to Marinescu and Fondren for serving as the “class representatives,” pay attorneys’ fees and costs to Marinescu and Fondren’s attorneys, and pay settlement administration costs.
 

The Court has preliminarily approved this settlement, subject to a fairness hearing that will occur on July 30, 2025, at 1;30 p.m. CT, in Room 415 of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, 901 North 9th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233.  If the Court grants final approval of the settlement, then each class member who meets the requirements in the first paragraph of this section and whose claim is approved by the settlement administrator will receive a check in the mail for an equal portion of the Settlement Fund.

1. Return a completed Claim Form. To receive a share of the Settlement Fund, you must complete and return a signed Claim Form, postmarked or submitted electronically here on or before July 07, 2025. If the Court grants final approval of the settlement and if your claim is approved, you will be mailed a check for your equal share of the Settlement Fund once the settlement becomes final and either the time for appeal is over or, in the event of an appeal, the appeal is finally resolved with the court affirming the settlement and the time for further appeal has concluded. Please be patient.
    
2. Do nothing. If you do nothing, you will stay in the Settlement Class, be bound by any judgment entered by the Court, and you will release your claims against PRA about the letters at issue, but you will receive no payment. Members of the Settlement Class who still have an account with PRA with an outstanding balance of at least $16.75 will receive a credit to the account in the amount of $16.75 regardless of whether the return a claim form.
    
3. Exclude yourself from the Settlement Class and the settlement. You can exclude yourself from the class action and the settlement (or “opt out”) by submitting a written request to the Defendant or to the Settlement Administrator. That request must be postmarked on or before July 07, 2025, and it must list your name, street address, and the name and number of this case.  You must sign your request for exclusion and mail, postmarked by the same date, to either: 
   
   
   For the Settlement Administrator:                                For PRA:
   Marinescu v. PRA                                                             Avanti D. Bakane
   c/o Kroll Settlement Administration                                   Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
   PO Box 225391                                                                One North Wacker, Suite 1600
   New York, NY 10150-5391                                               Chicago, IL 60606
                                                                                             T: (312) 619-4922
                                                                                             [email protected]
   
    
4. Object to the settlement in writing. If you object to the settlement and wish to file an objection rather than excluding yourself, you must submit your objection in writing to the Clerk of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, 901 North 9th Street, Room 104, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233. Your objection must be postmarked by July 07, 2025. You must also serve copies of your objection and any supporting memoranda or materials on each of the attorneys for the Settlement Class and for PRA listed below, postmarked by the same date. Your objection must be signed under penalty of perjury and must identify (1) your name, address, and telephone number, (2) all attorneys who assisted you in the preparation or filing of your objection, (3) a list of all other class action cases in which you or your attorneys have submitted an objection to a settlement, including case name, court, case number, and how much, if any amount, was paid in connection with the objection, and (4) a statement of the reasons why you believe the Court should find that the proposed settlement is not fair, reasonable, adequate, and in the best interests of the Class. If your objection does not comply with these requirements, the Court may strike and disregard your objection. If you file an objection and wish to present it to the Court in person, then you must appear at the final approval hearing before Judge Witkowiak in Room 415 of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, 901 North 9th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233 on July 30, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. CT. You are not required to attend this hearing in order for your objection to be considered by the Judge.  If you submit an objection in writing by the postmark date, then the Judge will review and consider your objection.
   
    

The Court will hold a hearing to decide whether the proposed settlement is fair and reasonable and should be approved. At that fairness hearing, the Court will hear any objections and arguments about the proposed settlement, including the amount of the award of costs and attorneys’ fees to Class Counsel. The fairness hearing will take place on July 30, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. CT in Room 415 of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, 901 North 9th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233. You do not need to attend this hearing. The fairness hearing may be continued to a future date without further notice. If the Court does not approve the settlement, the case will proceed as if no settlement has been attempted. If the settlement is not approved, there is no assurance that the Settlement Class will recover more than is provided in the settlement, or anything at all.

The Court appointed Sebastian Marinescu and Troy Fondren to be the “Class Representatives” and appointed Ben J. Slatky, Daut Ademi, and Ademi LLP as “Class Counsel.” At the fairness hearing, Class Counsel will request that the Court approve an incentive award of $5,000 to each of the Class Representatives. Additionally, Class Counsel will request that the Court award attorneys’ fees and out-of-pocket litigation expenses up to $200,000, and an estimated $50,000 to pay the Settlement Administrator’s expenses.

This description of the litigation is general and does not cover all of the issues and proceedings. To see a copy of the Class Action Complaint or the settlement agreement, you may visit the office of the Clerk of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, 901 North 9th Street, Room 104, Milwaukee Wisconsin 53233. The Clerk will make them available to you for inspection and copying at your own expense.  These documents are also available on the settlement website, here.
 

If you would like to request a Claim Form or update your contact information, you may contact the Settlement Administrator by calling (833) 420-3953 or through the contact form on the settlement website here.
 

Do not contact the Clerk of the Court, the Judge, or the Judge’s staff, because they cannot answer your questions or give you advice about this settlement.