County and Homebuilder Reach Settlement Over Copy Costs

Source of Title - Reprinted with Permission
11/6/2006

Joseph Dugan, a homebuilder in Mount Laurel, Pennsylvania recently had his attorney, Donald Doherty, file a lawsuit against two New Jersey counties - Burlington and Camden. Dugan was appalled at the cost that people were paying in county offices to copy public documents. In an attempt to appease Dugan and others, the counties agreed to a settlement that is requiring them to offer photocopying rebates totaling $1.6 million to any taxpayer who duplicated documents in the clerks' offices since 1996, according to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"I couldn't believe how much they were charging," Dugan said. "I looked around at the people who did title searches and abstracts and I thought it was appalling that they had to pay so much when Staples charges 10 cents. I wanted to do something."

In addition to the rebates, the counties are agreed to reduce copy prices to 5 cents per page in January 2007. This fee must remain in place for five years, according to the settlement. Prior to the new rates, Burlington County charged 50 cents per page while Camden charged $1 per page. In Gloucester County, which was named in another lawsuit, settlement has yet to be reached. The county continues to charge a 50 cent-per-page fee.

"It's a victory for the little guy," said Doherty, Dugan's attorney. "Maybe if more people stepped up to the plate and stuck up for their rights and fought for things as a group, things might happen better in the world." Dugan's suit accused the counties of charging exorbitant fees to a captive audience.

"They were doing it because they could," Doherty added. "Citizens had no place else to go. If you don't like the price at Staples, you can go elsewhere. In the clerk's offices, there was no place else to turn."

Those wishing to regain lost funds must prove that they paid for copies in the last decade and monies will be removed from a settlement fund based upon the taxpayer's loss. Per the terms of the settlement, Camden must pay $900,000 with Burlington accounting for the remaining $700,000.

If you believe your county has over-charged you for copies, you can submit your complaint for  free evaluation by attorneys specializing in this type of case.  Click here for legal help and a free evaluation of your possible case

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