Judge Awards $125 Million to Plaintiffs in Class Action Lawsuit Over Online Court Record Fees

In a historic decision, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved a settlement agreement that resolves longstanding litigation over the fees charged by the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, marking a significant victory for public access to federal courts. The settlement, signed by District Judge Paul L. Friedman on March 20, will see over $100 million in fees returned to users, the culmination of a legal battle that has scrutinized the federal judiciary’s use of the proceeds from PACER fees. “For over fifteen years, PACER fees–the per-page fees that the federal judiciary charges the public for online access to court documents–have been a subject of controversy,” Judge Friedman wrote in the opening line of his opinion. “As a result of the litigation in this case, the United States will return over $100 million of these fees to users of PACER. Today, this litigation substantially comes to a close.”...