Frequently Asked Questions

• "What is the lawsuit about?"

  This is a case that relates to AT&T Mobility’s practice of charging customers for taxes, fees and surcharges on internet access through certain services. These services include iPhone data plans, Blackberry data plans, other smart phone data plans, laptop connect cards and pay-per-use data services. The lawsuit alleges that these practices are not permitted under the Internet Tax Freedom Act, 47 U.S.C. § 151 (1998) (as amended) and other state laws. As a result, the lawsuit claims that AT&T Mobility is liable for damages to the Class. AT&T Mobility denies that it did anything wrong, denies that it violated any laws, and raised a number of defenses to the claims.

  The Court did not decide in favor of the Class Representatives or AT&T Mobility. The lawyers who initially brought this case, referred to as “Class Counsel,” have investigated the facts and applicable law regarding the Class Representatives’ claims and AT&T Mobility’s defenses. The parties have engaged in lengthy negotiations in reaching this Settlement. The Class Representatives and Class Counsel believe that the proposed Settlement is a good deal for the Class. The Court agreed, deciding under the appropriate legal standards that the proposed Settlement is indeed fair, reasonable and adequate and in the best interests of the Class. Both sides agree that, by settling, AT&T Mobility is not admitting any liability or that it did anything wrong, but both sides want to avoid the uncertainties and high cost in time and money in litigation of this type.

• "Why is this a class action?"

  Class actions are lawsuits in which the claims and rights of many people are decided in a single court proceeding. Representative Plaintiffs (Class Representatives) are named in the lawsuit to assert the claims of the entire class. This avoids the necessity for a large number of people to file similar individual lawsuits and enables the court system to resolve similar claims in an efficient and economical way. Class actions provide a vehicle whereby people with similar claims are treated alike. In a class action, the court is guardian of class interests and supervises the prosecution of the class claims by class counsel to assure that the representation is adequate. Class Members are not individually responsible for the costs or fees of counsel, which are subject to court award.

• "Who is included in the Settlement?"

  You are a part of the Settlement if you paid taxes, fees or surcharges to AT&T Mobility on internet access through certain services including iPhone data plans, Blackberry data plans, other smart phone data plans, laptop connect cards and pay-per-use data services on bills issued from November 1, 2005 up to and including September 7, 2010.

  Excluded from the Class are (i) AT&T Mobility, any entity in which AT&T Mobility has a controlling interest or which has a controlling interest in AT&T Mobility, and AT&T Mobility’s legal representatives, predecessors, successors and assigns; (ii) governmental entities; (iii) AT&T Mobility’s officers, directors, agents and representatives; and (iv) the Court presiding over any motion to approve this Settlement Agreement.

• "What services are included?"

  The following is a list of the internet access services included in the Settlement:

  Plan Category and Primary Features/Characteristics

  Data Connect Plans Web access and ability to send and receive internet e-mail through a computer equipped with a laptop data card.

  Smart-phone Data Features Bolt-on Web access and ability to send and receive internet e-mail.

  Smart-phone Standalone Data Plans Web access and ability to send and receive internet e-mail.

  iPhone Data Plans Web access and ability to send and receive internet e-mail.

  Personal Blackberry Plans Web access and ability to send and receive internet e-mail; also includes access to Blackberry APN, which provides push e-mail, and contacts/calendar synchronization through RIM server.

  Enterprise Smartphone Plans (using RIM/Blackberry, Goodlink, or Microsoft application provider) Same as Personal Blackberry plans, and also provides enterprise customer’s end users the ability to send and receive internal and internet e-mail to and from e-mail addresses provided by the enterprise customer.

• "What are the benefits of the Settlement?"

  If you determine that you are a member of the Class, you may receive benefits under the Settlement. Essentially the Settlement benefits are three-fold:

  First, AT&T Mobility will stop collecting the taxes it has been collecting and paying to states, counties and cities. AT&T Mobility will not collect the tax again unless the applicable laws of the United States or a state change or such laws are interpreted to require or permit AT&T Mobility to begin collecting the taxes again.

  Second, AT&T Mobility, at its sole expense, will prepare and process tax refund claims for filing with the various taxing authorities (e.g., state or county or municipal taxing agencies) seeking a refund of the Internet Taxes collected by AT&T Mobility from the Settlement Class and paid by AT&T Mobility to the taxing jurisdictions. AT&T Mobility and/or the Class Representatives will file the refund claims. The refund claims will be based on the amount of taxes each account holder paid to AT&T Mobility. As part of the Settlement, AT&T Mobility has assigned its rights, title and interest in such refunds to the Settlement Class to settle the claims made by the Class. Significantly, AT&T Mobility has agreed to pay the money owed up front, even if a taxing jurisdiction issues future tax credits to AT&T Mobility in lieu of a refund of monies sought on a refund claim for Internet Taxes. Thus, AT&T Mobility has agreed to pay the credited amount to the escrow accounts established pursuant to the Settlement. If the use of the future tax credit will be spread over a three (3) year period or less, AT&T Mobility shall pay monies to the escrow accounts equal to the total future tax credits. If the use of the future tax credit will be spread over a period longer than three (3) years, AT&T Mobility shall pay monies to the escrow accounts based upon a payment formula. Under this formula, the payments are equal to the net present value of such future tax credits of the fourth and succeeding years using a 5% discount rate to compute the net present value. The amount of the first three (3) years shall be paid with no discount.

  Third, AT&T Mobility has agreed to pay to the Settlement Class any vendor’s compensation. Vendor’s compensation is the amount of money AT&T Mobility was allowed to retain from the sales tax it collected as compensation for collecting the taxes for some (but not all) taxing jurisdictions. Vendor’s compensation paid under the Settlement does not include amounts to which AT&T would have been entitled independent of the collection of Internet Taxes based on limitations on the amount of credit allowed pursuant to applicable law. All refunds or payments by AT&T Mobility related to credits and payments of the vendor’s compensation will fund separate escrow accounts for the benefit of the Settlement Class.

  Payments to Settlement Class Members will be made only after all of the refunds/credits are made from each taxing jurisdiction in each state and after deduction of Court approved costs, expenses and attorneys’ fees and Class Representative Compensation.

• "When would I get my benefit?"

  The Settlement Administrator will send out the benefits as soon as monies are received from the taxing jurisdictions to which your payments to AT&T Mobility were remitted. This may take some time, so please be patient.

• "Who is representing the Class Members in this case?"

  Bartimus Frickleton
  Robertson & Gorny, P.C.
  715 Swifts Highway
  Jefferson City, MO 65109

• "How will the lawyers be paid?"

  The Court has approved the attorneys’ fees, expenses and Class Representative Compensation to be paid from funds received from the refund claims and AT&T Mobility. Those approved amounts are deducted from the amount due the class before checks are issued.

• "How can I get more information?"

  More information is available on this website. You can read the Settlement Agreement by clicking here. Or you may view the papers filed in this Lawsuit during regular business hours at the office of the Clerk of the Court, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60604. File: In Re: AT&T Mobility Wireless Data Services Sales Tax Litigation, MDL No. 2147, Case No. 1:10-cv-02278. You can also call 1-877-905-8928 for information.

  The full Settlement Agreement and the pleadings filed in the Actions can be requested, in writing, from Class Counsel. Addresses for Class Counsel are available in the response to question 13 above.

• "Will I be paid all the taxes that were charged to me?"

  No. The legal fees associated with the Settlement and the costs of administering the fund, etc. will be deducted from each Class Member’s share of the Settlement. The amount you may receive also will be affected by the taxing jurisdictions’ decisions on the refund claims. Finally, the amount of your benefit payment will depend upon the amount of the tax that you were charged, and that amount depends upon the type of service you had and the particular state and/or local taxes you were charged based on your location.

• "Do I have to submit something to receive my benefits?"

  No. You do not need to do anything. AT&T Mobility can identify who was assessed taxes and the amount of those taxes. However, if you change your billing address, please send written notification of your old and new address, along with your account number(both current and if applicable, old/inactive) and phone number to the Settlement Administrator using the following address:

  ATTM Settlement Administrator
  PO Box 57098
  Washington, DC 20037-7098

  If you desire to be in the Class, please do not send any materials to Class Counsel or the Settlement Administrator. Do not mail copies of bills or other correspondence. This will not aid in the payment of benefits and may lengthen the time and cost of administering the payments.

  If you have questions, please do not contact the Court or AT&T Mobility, but review all materials on this site.

• "How will I be paid my benefit?"

  The Settlement Administrator will issue you a check and mail it to the most recent address the Settlement Administrator has on file.

• "Can I apply my benefit to my AT&T Mobility bill?"

  No.

• "I think I’m eligible for a benefit payment. How do I monitor when I might receive my benefit payment?"

  Please continue to check this site for details regarding the Settlement. If you are a valid Class Member and have provided your current address to the Settlement Administrator, you will receive a refund check.

• "Is this Settlement final, or can I object or exclude myself from the Settlement?"

  The Settlement is final and all court proceedings are complete. Any opportunity to exclude yourself or object to the settlement have expired and you are now included as a member of the settlement class.

• "What should I do if I received a check in the mail from Central Bank for this settlement?"

  You should cash the check. The check is full payment of the amount due you for your refund of sales taxes that were improperly collected from you by AT&T for certain services involving internet access. This is payment in full of your tax refund in this case. This check is a cash refund to you. Cashing the check does not obligate you to buy any product or service, now or in the future. It is the same as cash. If you do not cash the check within the stated validity period on the check, the check will expire and no longer be valid.

• "If my refund was less than a dollar, why send a check for such a small amount of money?"

  The Court approved the settlement on the assurance that every eligible class member would receive the net tax refund to which they are entitled, no matter how large or how small.

• "Have all class members received refund checks?"

  No. The sales taxes that were improperly collected from you were sent by AT&T to your state taxing authority. Class members receive their refund checks only after their taxing jurisdiction has approved and fully refunded these taxes. People who receive a check live in a jurisdiction where the taxing authority has approved and fully paid the tax refund. If you have not received a refund check, your taxing authority may be disputing the refund or may still be processing the refund request.

• "What do I do if I receive a check for someone who is deceased?"

  We recommend that you first take the check to your bank or other financial institution to see what documentation they require in order to accept the check as it is. If your financial institution will not accept the check, or if you are unable to comply with their requirements, then you may request that the check be reissued using the following procedure. A check can only be reissued if you provide the documentation listed below:

  If you are the surviving spouse or surviving parent/legal guardian, please provide:

  1) Check number
  2) Copy of Death Certificate indicating you are the surviving spouse or surviving parent/legal guardian

  For all other situations, please provide:

  1) Check number
  2) Copy of Death Certificate
  AND
  3) Copy of legal documentation showing you are authorized to act on behalf of the estate. Examples of documents that satisfy this requirement:

  i) Documentation showing the appointment of an Executor, Administrator, or Personal Representative of the Estate
  ii) Probate order identifying the heirs to the estate
  iii) A last will and testament that has been approved through a probate order

  In addition to the documentation above, please also provide the correct payee name and address for the reissued check with your correspondence. The requested documentation can be emailed to: support@attm.zendesk.com or sent to:

  ATTM Settlement Administrator
  PO Box 57098
  Washington, DC 20037-7098

• "How can I check if I am eligible for the Settlement?"

  You are a part of the Settlement if you paid taxes, fees or surcharges to AT&T Mobility on internet access through certain services including iPhone data plans, Blackberry data plans, other smart phone data plans, laptop connect cards and pay-per-use data services on bills issued from November 1, 2005 up to and including September 7, 2010.

  If you believe that you meet these criteria, please use the contact form to provide additional information including current and former addresses and complete previous names that may have been used on your AT&T account during the time period specified above. This information will be used to verify your eligibility.

  All Class Members have not yet received refund checks. The sales taxes that were improperly collected from eligible members were sent by AT&T to the state taxing authority. Class Members receive their refund checks only after their taxing jurisdiction has approved and fully refunded these taxes. People who receive a check live in a jurisdiction where the taxing authority has approved and fully paid the tax refund. If an eligible Class Member has not received a refund check, the state taxing authority may be disputing the refund or may still be processing the refund request.

• "What is the account number associated with the check?"

  Settlement checks are distributed per AT&T account number.

  If you would like to obtain the account number associated with a check, please use the contact form to provide the following information:

  • Check Number

  • Check Amount

  • Name and Address the check was sent

  If you are inquiring about multiple checks, please provide a list of the check numbers or copies of the checks. Attachments can be emailed to: support@attm.zendesk.com or paper copies can be sent to:

  ATTM Settlement Administrator
  PO Box 57098
  Washington, DC 20037-7098

• "What do I do if my check is damaged or lost?"

  If you have a damaged check or if you lost your check, please use the contact form to provide as much of the following information as possible:

  • Check Number
  • Check Amount
  • Name and Address the check was sent

  If you are unable to provide any of the above information, please use the contact form to provide your current name and address.

• "What do I do if I am in possession of a check that is not made payable to me?"

  If you have such a check, please use the contact form to provide the following information:

  • Check Number
  • Check Amount
  • Name and Address the check was sent

  Please provide any known association with whom the check is made payable to. If the check is made payable to a company, indicate if you are a current or former employee of the company.

• "What do I do if I am in possession of a stale check?"

  Settlement checks become stale after 180 days from the date of issuance. If you have a stale check, please use the contact form to provide the following information:

  • Check Number
  • Check Amount
  • Name and Address the check was sent

  This information will be used to review your request for a check reissue.