King County jail probable cause delay settlement

Who may be eligible

King County, Washington has agreed to a $1,600,000 settlement covering people who were arrested without a warrant and then held at the King County Jail for more than 48 hours without a probable cause determination, between January 2, 2021 and April 23, 2025. If the county's records show you were held that way, you may be eligible: the court-approved notice sets a base payment of $1,500 plus $57.81 for each additional hour of delay, or $150 for class members who also had a warrant at the time of arrest. A claim form has to be submitted, and the administrator's site now gives a deadline of November 30, 2026. Amounts are estimates that depend on how many valid claims arrive, and filing on the official settlement site is free.

The eligibility period on the official materials is January 2, 2021 – April 23, 2025. The notice states no state limit, so it is usually nationwide. Covered: King County Jail.

Only the official administrator or agency decides who is eligible. Read the official notice before filing, and file only if you believe you meet its criteria.

How much it may pay

Share of a $1.6M fund. Every figure here is an estimate from public materials, not a guarantee: many settlements pay pro rata or only after a claims review, so final amounts commonly land well below the advertised maximum.

Two tiers, from a $1,600,000 fund with $1,100,000 allocated to class members: $150 for people who also had a warrant at the time of arrest, otherwise a $1,500 base payment plus $57.81 for each additional hour of delay. Whatever is left of the $1,100,000 is split in proportion to those hours, so these are estimates rather than guaranteed amounts. The claim form came with the mailed notice and the online form opens with a verification step, so anyone who believes they are covered but received no notice should contact the administrator. Filing on the official site is free.

What the deadline is

The claim deadline is November 30, 2026.

The deadline to opt out or object is October 20, 2025.

The court's fairness hearing is set for December 5, 2025; payments do not go out until the settlement is finally approved and any appeals are resolved.

The notice says the administrator mails a check after a valid claim form is accepted. No distribution date has been published, and settlement payments can be delayed by an appeal.

What proof is needed

Notice ID / PIN from the official letter or email may be required.

The official claim form states exactly what it accepts; gather it before you start.

How to file for free

Open the official claim page on this page, run by American Legal Claim Services, LLC, read the criteria, and file there if you believe you meet them. Filing is free: official claims never carry a fee, and this site never files on anyone's behalf.

Never give a Social Security number, bank login or card number to a site that is not the official administrator or agency page.

Why this case happened

Tucker v. King County alleged that the county held people at the King County Jail for more than 48 hours after a warrantless arrest without the prompt probable cause determination the Fourth Amendment requires. King County denies liability and all the allegations. The mailed class notice gave a claim deadline of September 1, 2026; the administrator's key dates page and home page both now give November 30, 2026, which is the later date and the one recorded here. Class members were identified from the county's own records.