Freeman v. County of Riverside

Riverside County, California charged families millions of dollars in fees for administrative costs associated with their children's involvement in the juvenile court system. Affected families brought a class action lawsuit alleging that, in charging these fees without assessing the family’s ability to pay or informing them of their right to challenge the fees, the County did not follow California law and violated parents’ and guardians' constitutional right to due process.

Juvenile Law Center submitted a declaration in support of the plaintiffs' motion for final approval of the class action settlement, which would reimburse class members for a portion of the fees collected. Our declaration detailed the financial and emotional harms to children and families of collecting costs of support and detention fees. We further emphasized that collecting these fees amplifies existing racial and income inequity in the juvenile legal system and disproportionately harms youth of color and very low-income youth.

In June 2023, the Riverside Superior Court granted final approval of the settlement, including an agreement by Riverside County to pay $540,307 to refund class members for a portion of the juvenile detention fees that they paid.

LEGAL TEAM

Attorneys

Jessica Feierman, Marsha Levick, Nadia Mozaffar, Lindsey Smith

Paralegals

Tiffany Faith, Marissa Lariviere