Anyone who paid Raleigh a water or sewer capital facilities fee between January 12, 2016, and June 30, 2018, would be mailed a check with no claim form if a Wake County judge approves a $26,235,749.27 settlement. The settlement is still proposed, and the court has not ruled. The settlement website lists a fairness hearing for December 14, 2026 and a November 23 deadline to opt out or object.
What Raleigh is settling
The case is Wardson Construction, Inc., et al. v. City of Raleigh, file number 19-CVS-010860-910, in Wake County Superior Court. The plaintiffs argued that the city collected the water and sewer fees beyond its authority under North Carolina law and its city charter, and they sought refunds with interest. The city denied the allegations and agreed to settle to avoid more expense and risk.
The class covers people, corporations and other entities that paid the fees to the city during that window under its adopted fee schedule and code of ordinances. The two named plaintiffs are Wardson Construction, Inc. and Homequest Builders, Inc., both builders, so the largest payers are likely developers, but any payer who received the notice is in the class.
The administrator, Angeion Group, says the settlement would resolve those claims if the court grants final approval. Until then, the site states, “Class Member Benefit Awards will not be provided unless the Court grants final approval of the Settlement and the Settlement becomes effective.”
How the 105 percent estimate works
The city is paying $26,235,749.27 into a common fund, a figure that includes the fees collected and interest accrued as of July 15, 2026. That is about 59 percent more than the fees themselves, and the gap is the interest. According to the notice sent to class members, the city collected $16,484,400 in capital facilities fees during the class period.
Each class member who does not opt out gets a pro rata share of what is left after costs, based on the fees paid plus interest. Interest runs at 6 percent a year through September 16, 2024, then at the legal rate through August 1, 2026.
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If the court approves every requested fee and cost, the notice says class members would receive approximately 105 percent of their total principal fees paid. A class member who paid $20,000 in fees would then be looking at roughly $21,000. That is an estimate, not a promise, and a smaller fee award would leave more in the fund.
Class counsel may ask for up to one-third of the fund, which is up to $8,745,249.76, according to ClaimDepot’s summary of the settlement. Each of the two class representatives, Wardson Construction and Homequest Builders, may request a $25,000 service award. The court can award less.
No claim form, but a deadline that matters
The notice does not mention a claim form. Class members who do not opt out will be issued a check by the administrator. ClaimDepot adds that checks go to the last known address on file, which makes a current address the one step that rests with the member.
The administrator’s contact page and notice give a toll-free number, 1-844-430-4361, and an email address, Info@RaleighCFFSettlement.com, for questions and contact updates. The mailing address is City of Raleigh CFF Settlement, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
The November 23, 2026 date matters in two ways. A class member who opts out gives up the benefit award in exchange for keeping any right to sue separately, and must postmark a signed written request to the administrator by that day. An objection must be filed in writing with the Wake County Courthouse, postmarked by the same date.
Anyone planning to speak at the hearing must also file a notice of intent with the Wake County Clerk of Superior Court by November 30, 2026. The notice puts the hearing in the December 14 civil session at 316 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, and says the exact time and whether it is in person or by WebEx will be posted on the settlement website.
When money could actually arrive
Payment follows approval, and then any appeals. ClaimDepot says payments issue after the court resolves appeals and grants final approval, which means checks cannot be expected in 2026. The settlement site does not give a mailing date.
Checks not cashed within 180 days, ClaimDepot reports, go to the city’s water and sewer enterprise fund. The page that describes that rule is cut off mid-sentence, so the administrator’s FAQ on payment timing is the place to confirm it.
The fairness hearing is the next fixed date. A class member who paid a capital facilities fee in 2016, 2017 or the first half of 2018 can decide before November 23 whether to stay in, and an address on file decides whether the check finds them if the judge says yes.
Paid Raleigh a capital facilities fee before mid-2018?
A proposed settlement can move from notice to final approval without a reminder, and a check mailed to an old address is easy to lose. Missing the November 23 opt-out date or the December 14 hearing means that choice has already been made.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice and a claim log and payment tracker. The tracker gives a place to log the opt-out date, the hearing date and the day a check arrives, which suits an automatic payment that needs no claim form.
Get the settlement dates and payment tracker for the Raleigh checks →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
