Singh et al. v. IQ Data International Frequently Asked Questions

Karanbir Singh et al., v. IQ Data International, Inc.
Case No. 20-2-07084-0 SEA

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The purpose of this website is to let you know that a proposed Settlement has been reached in the class action lawsuit entitled Karanbir Singh et al. v. IQ Data International, Inc., Case No. 20-2-07084-0 SEA. Judge Tanya L. Thorp of the Superior Court of the State of Washington, County of King, preliminarily approved the proposed Settlement. You have legal rights and options that you may act on before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the proposed Settlement. Because your rights will be affected by this Settlement, it is extremely important that you read the information on this website carefully. 

Based on a review of Defendant’s business records you have been identified as a possible member of the Classes certified by the Court on November 23, 2021. 

You may be a member of the CPA Class if you are a Washington resident who is a former tenant of a residential property in Washington on whose account IQ Data collected, at some time on or after January 5, 2017, interest calculated from your move out date. 

You may be a member of the FDCPA Class if, on or after January 5, 2020, IQ Data collected or attempted to collect interest calculated from your move out date. 

The Classes are defined as follows:
CPA Class: All Washington residents who are former tenants of a residential property in Washington on whose account IQ Data collected, on or after January 5, 2017, interest calculated from the tenant's move out date, up through the date of the Preliminary Approval Order.

FDCPA Class: All Washington residents who are former tenants of residential property in Washington on whose account IQ Data collected or attempted to collect, on or after January 5, 2020, interest calculated from the tenant's move out date, up through the date of the Preliminary Approval Order.


In a class action, one or more people, called “Plaintiffs” (in this case Karanbir Singh, Harpreet Singh, and Nasteho Omar), sue on behalf of people who have similar claims. All those people are a “Class” or “Class Members.” One court resolves the issues for all class members, except those who exclude themselves from the class. 

The Plaintiffs challenged IQ Data’s practices of collecting or attempting to collect interest calculated from the date the tenant moved out when the alleged debts were unliquidated and not subject to prejudgment interest. The Plaintiffs allege that IQ Data’s conduct violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Washington Collection Agency Act, and the Washington Consumer Protection Act. 

The Court certified the Classes. Washington State Superior Court Judge Tanya L. Thorp is in charge of this class action.

Defendant denies the Plaintiffs’ claims and denies that the Classes were properly certified.

The Settlement that was reached between the Plaintiffs and IQ Data does not have impact on the underlying debt that was assigned to IQ Data, and that comprises each Class Member’s account.

The Court did not decide in favor of the Plaintiffs or IQ Data. Instead, both sides agreed to a Settlement. This avoids the cost of a trial, and the people affected will benefit from the Settlement. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Class Members under the circumstances. IQ Data has not admitted fault or that they violated any laws, but Defendant and their attorneys agree that a Settlement is in all Parties’ best interests.

You are a member of the CPA Class if you are a Washington resident and a former tenant of a residential property in Washington and IQ Data collected, on after January 5, 2017, interest calculated from your move out date, up through the date of the Preliminary Approval Order.

You are a member of the FDCPA Class if you are a Washington resident and a former tenant of a residential property in Washington and IQ Data collected or attempted to collect, on or after January 5, 2020, interest calculated from your move out date, up through the date of the Preliminary Approval Order.

The Classes do not include any persons who validly request exclusion from the Settlement, as described under Question 11. 

If you have questions about whether you are a part of the Classes, please use the Contact Us page. 

The Settlement requires Defendant to establish a Settlement Fund in the amount of $4,000,000 that will be used to pay Settlement Awards to Class Members, service awards totaling no more than $30,000 to the Class Representatives, up to $1,047,057 in attorneys’ fees and costs, and settlement administration costs estimated at $143,000, subject to Court approval. If the Court awards anything less than the amounts requested for Plaintiffs’ service awards, or attorneys’ fees and costs, then the difference shall be allocated to payment of Settlement Awards.

A total of $225,000 from the fund is allocated to the FDCPA Class Members and the balance is allocated to the CPA Class Members.

A list of important dates and deadlines regarding this Settlement can be found on the sidebar of this site.

If you paid money to IQ Data and you do not exclude yourself, your estimated share of the Settlement Fund will be 61% of the amount you paid to IQ Data that was allocated to interest. 

If you did not pay money to IQ Data, you must file a claim to get a payment. If you are a FDCPA Class Member and you file a claim, your share of the Settlement will be approximately $35. 

Your estimated share of the fund may increase or decrease depending on factors such as, but not limited to, the outcome of any challenge by Class Members to the Settlement and the number of FDCPA Class Members who make claims, and the number of Class Members who effectively exclude themselves from the Settlement. If you did not get a postcard but think you are a member of the Classes, please contact us here. 

If you shared a rental unit with other adults, your CPA Class Settlement Award amount will be split evenly among the tenants listed on the account. For example, if you lived with one roommate, you and your roommate will each receive half of the Settlement Award associated with your account. Contact Class Counsel if you have questions about this.

Settlement Award checks that are not cashed within 90 days after the issue date on the check will be voided. 

If you request to be excluded from the Settlement, you will not receive any payment from the Settlement.

If you are a member of the FDCPA Class, you must submit a claim by February 5, 2024 to get a Settlement Award.

If you are a member of the CPA Class and you received a postcard Notice and are eligible for a Settlement Award, you will automatically receive that award. If you want to get your payment electronically instead of by check, go here. If you did not receive a postcard Notice but believe you are in the Classes, please reach out to the Class Administrator using the Contact Us page. 

The Court will hold a hearing on March 1, 2024, to decide whether to approve the Settlement. If the hearing date changes, this website will be updated. If the Court approves the Settlement, the Parties will then have to wait up to 30 days to see whether there is an appeal. An appeal can take up to a year or more to resolve. In the event of an appeal, information about the appeal’s progress will be posted on this website.

If there is no appeal, Class Counsel expect the payments to be sent out within sixty-five (65) days of the Court’s approval of the Settlement.

Unless you exclude yourself, you will be part of the Classes. That means you may not sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against IQ Data regarding claims that are the same or similar to the ones in this lawsuit. It also means that all of the Court’s orders will apply to you and legally bind you.

The Settlement Agreement (available here) describes the claims you are releasing (the “Released Claims”) and against whom you are releasing claims (the “Released Parties”) in detail, so read it carefully. To summarize, the Release includes claims that arise out of IQ Data’s charging of prejudgment interest on residential tenant accounts and attempts to collect those amounts, including, but not limited to, claims based on a violation of the CAA, FDCPA, CPA, and any other statutory or common law claim. You are not giving up any claims that you may have against a former landlord or property management company by staying in the Classes.

If you are currently involved in another lawsuit against IQ Data International, Inc., or companies related to it, or contemplating filing such a lawsuit, you should consult with your own attorney to determine whether you need to opt out of this Settlement. 

If you don’t want a payment from this Settlement, but you want to keep the right to sue or continue to sue IQ Data in a different case, then you must remove yourself from the Classes. This is called excluding yourself – or “opting out” – of the Settlement.

To exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must send a written letter to the Class Administrator at the address provided below. Your opt-out request must include your name and address and should state that you do not want to be a Class Member. Opt-out requests must be postmarked on or before the Opt-Out Deadline: February 5, 2024.

Opt-out requests may be mailed to:
Singh et al. v. IQ Data International
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration
PO Box 5324
New York, NY 10150-5324

You cannot exclude yourself on the phone, by fax, or by email. If you ask to be excluded, you will not get any payment, and you cannot object to the Settlement. You will not be legally bound by anything that happens in the lawsuit. You may be able to sue (or continue to sue) Defendant in the future.

No. Unless you exclude yourself, you give up any right to sue IQ Data for the claims that this Settlement resolves. If you already have a lawsuit relating to IQ Data’s debt collection practices regarding your tenancy at a residential property in Washington, you should speak to your lawyer in that case immediately. You must exclude yourself from these Classes to continue your own lawsuit. The Opt-Out Deadline is February 5, 2024.

No. You will not receive any monetary benefits if you exclude yourself.

The Court has decided that Terrell Marshall Law Group, PLLC, and Leonard Law, PLLC and are qualified to represent you and all Class Members. Together, these lawyers are called “Class Counsel.” More information about Terrell Marshall Law Group, PLLC and Leonard Law, PLLC, their practices, and their experience is available at www.terrellmarshall.com and www.seattledebtdefense.com. Class Counsel represent you and all Class Members regarding the legal claims raised in this lawsuit; however, they do not represent you regarding the underlying debt that was assigned to IQ Data. 

You will not be separately charged for these lawyers; they will be compensated for their time and reimbursed for their costs out of the Settlement Fund in whatever amounts are approved by the Court. If you want your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve payment of up to $1,047,057 to them for attorneys’ fees and their out-of-pocket expenses. These payments will pay Class Counsel for investigating the facts, litigating the case, and negotiating the Settlement. Class Counsel will also request service awards of no more than $10,000 for each of the Plaintiffs to compensate them for their time and effort, and statutory damages. Class Counsel’s complete request for fees, costs, and service awards to the Plaintiffs will be posted to this website on January 8, 2024. The Court may award less than these amounts.

If you are a Class Member and you do not exclude yourself from the Classes, you can object to the Settlement if you don’t like any part of it. You may give reasons why you think the Court should not approve it. The Court will consider your views. The Court cannot change the terms of the Settlement. The Court can only approve or deny the Settlement. 

To object, you must file your objection by mailing a hand-signed, written letter to the Court at the address provided below. The letter must include:
  1. the following case name and number: Singh et al. v. IQ Data International, Inc., Case No. 20‐2‐07084‐0 SEA;
  2. your name, address, telephone number, and email address, and if represented by counsel, of your counsel; and
  3. the reasons you disagree with or object to the Settlement (i.e., why you think the Court should not approve the settlement).
The objection must be postmarked no later than February 5, 2024. If the Settlement is approved, you will still be eligible to receive a payment under the Settlement.

Objections to the Settlement must be filed with the Court by mailing your letter to:
King County Courthouse
Clerk’s Office
516 Third Avenue, Room E-609
Seattle, WA 98104

Objecting simply means telling the Court that you don’t like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Classes. Excluding yourself from the Settlement is telling the Court that you don’t want to be part of the Classes. If you exclude yourself, you have no basis to object because the case no longer affects you.

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing at 8:30 AM on March 1, 2024, at the King County Superior Court, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104. The purpose of this hearing is for the Court to determine whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, adequate, and in the best interest of the Classes. At the hearing, the Court will hear any objections and arguments concerning the fairness of the proposed Settlement, including those related to the amount requested by Class Counsel for attorneys’ fees and expenses and the service awards and damages payments to the Plaintiffs. After the hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. We do not know how long these decisions will take.

Note: The date and time of the Final Approval Hearing are subject to change by Court order. Any changes will be posted on this website. 

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You are welcome to come to the hearing at your own expense. If you send an objection you don’t have to come to the Court to talk about it. As long as your written objection was filed or mailed on time, and meets the other criteria described in the Settlement Agreement, the Court will consider it. You may also pay a lawyer to attend, but you don’t have to.

If you do not exclude yourself from the Classes, you may ask the Court for permission for you or your attorney to speak at the hearing concerning any part of the Settlement Agreement. If you filed an objection (see Question 17 above) and intend to appear at the hearing, you should send a letter saying that it is your “Notice of Intention to Appear” in Singh et al. v. IQ Data International, Inc., Case No. 20‐2‐07084‐0.” Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, that you are a Class Member, and your signature. If you are represented by your own attorney, he or she must file a notice of appearance with the Court no later than ten (10) days before the Final Approval Hearing. Your Notice of Intention to Appear should be received at the address in Question 17, no later than ten (10) days before the hearing date, March 1, 2024. You cannot speak at the hearing if you exclude yourself.

If you do nothing, you may be a member of the CPA Class. If you are an FDCPA Class Member and you do not file a claim by February 5, 2024, you will not get a payment from the Settlement. Click here to file your claim now.  If you are CPA Class Member you are automatically eligible to receive a Settlement Award—click here if you want to request an electronic payment.

This Notice summarizes the proposed Settlement. More details are in the Settlement Agreement. You may review the Settlement Agreement here. You can also get a copy of the Settlement Agreement by writing to the Class Administrator at the address below.

First review all the information on this website. If you still have questions, you can call (833) 383-5665 toll free, visit the Contact Us page, or write to the Class Administrator at Singh et al. v. IQ Data International c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC PO Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324.


Singh et al. v. IQ Data International
c/o Kroll Settlement Administrator LLC
PO Box 5324
New York, NY 10150-5324

(833) 383-5665

This website is authorized by the Court, supervised by counsel to the parties and controlled by Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, the Class Administrator approved by the Court. This is the only authorized website for this case.
Call
(833) 383-5665
Mail
Singh et al. v. IQ Data International
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
PO Box 5324
New York, NY 10150-5324

Important Dates

  • Opt-out Deadline

    Monday, February 5, 2024 You must complete and mail your request for exclusion form so that it is postmarked no later than Monday, February 5, 2024.

  • Objection Deadline

    Monday, February 5, 2024 You must mail your objection(s) and/or notice of intent to appear at the Final Approval Hearing so that it/they are postmarked no later than Monday, February 5, 2024.

  • Claims Deadline

    Monday, February 5, 2024 If you are a FDCPA Class Member, you must submit your claim form online no later than Monday, February 5, 2024, or mail your completed paper claim form so that it is postmarked no later than February 5, 2024.

  • Final Approval Hearing Date

    Friday, March 1, 2024 The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled for Friday, March 1, 2024. Please check this website for updates.
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