Frequently Asked Questions

You received notice if the Defendant’s records show that you are a class member. The email or postcard notice referred you to an informational website, which included this more detailed Notice.

The Court ordered that a Notice be sent to you because you have a right to know about a proposed settlement of the class action against Defendant and about your options before the Court decides whether to approve the settlement. If the Court approves it and you do not opt out of the Settlement, an administrator appointed by the Court will provide the Payment that the Settlement allows.

This Notice explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, your legal rights, what benefits are available, who is eligible for them, and how to get them. Please read this Notice carefully.

The Spokane County Superior Court has jurisdiction over this proposed Settlement. The person who sued is called the Plaintiff, and the company he sued is called the Defendant.

The Plaintiff filed a proposed class action lawsuit (the “Action”) against the Defendant.

In the Action, the Plaintiff claimed, among other things, that the Defendant collected information on prospective tenants without first providing required disclosures to them, in violation of Washington State law. The Court did not determine if Defendant violated RCW 59.18.257. The Court also did not determine the award of damages that would be due to each Class Member. The Defendant claims it has abided by all state and federal laws. As part of the proposed settlement, the Defendant does not admit any wrongdoing, maintains its compliance with the law, and continues to deny the allegations against it.

In a class action, one or more people, called Class Representatives, sue on behalf of people who have similar claims. In this case, the Class Representative is Ulises Lopez. One court resolves the issues for all Class Members, except those who exclude themselves from the Class. The Honorable Jacquelyn High-Edward for the Spokane Superior Court for the State of Washington has jurisdiction over the case in which the parties have submitted this settlement for approval.

The Court did not decide liability in favor of the Plaintiff, and it did not determine the award of damages due to each Class Member. To avoid the cost, uncertainty, and delay of going to trial on damages, the parties agreed to this settlement, which anticipates paying each participating Class Member $27.56. The Class Representative and his attorneys think the Settlement is best for the Class Members.

Pursuant to the Defendant’s records, you are a Class Member because you fit the following description: 

1. from April 28, 2017, to February 10, 2023, you applied to rent at any property in the State of Washington, where the rental property on the date of application was owned or managed by Defendant, or where Defendant was a “landlord” of the property, as defined by RCW 59.18.030(16);
2. you paid a tenant screening fee to Defendant, or its affiliates;
3. were screened by RealPage, Inc, d/b/a On-Site (“On-Site”); and
4. you did not receive all of the prospective tenant screening disclosures required by RCW 59.18.257.

The Class does not include the Defendant, any person or entity that has a controlling interest in the Defendant, the Defendant’s current or former directors and officers, as well as the parties’ counsel and their immediate families, and the Court. The Class also does not include any persons who validly request exclusion from the Class.

If you are still not sure whether you are included, you can visit the Settlement Website, www.HobanCoastSettlement.com, for more information.

The Defendant has agreed to pay a total settlement amount of $1,400,000, which will be used to create a Settlement Fund to pay cash awards to Settlement Class Members who do not timely exclude themselves from the Settlement; pay Class Counsel’s attorneys’ fees and costs; pay an incentive award to the Plaintiff; and pay costs and expenses of settlement administration. Each Class Member is expected to receive approximately $27.56.

The Settlement Administrator will determine whether you are a Settlement Class Member or have validly excluded yourself.

If you receive this notice and do not validly exclude yourself from the Settlement Class within sixty (60) days, you are eligible to receive payment. The Court will hold a hearing on June 26, 2026, to decide whether to approve the Settlement. If the Settlement is approved, payments will be emailed (you may select to receive payment via a digital medium) or mailed from the Settlement Administrator within thirty (30) days of the Court entering a final order approving the Settlement.

The Court will hold a hearing on June 26, 2026, to decide whether to approve the settlement (“Fairness Hearing”). If the Court approves the Settlement after that, there may be appeals. It is always uncertain whether these appeals can be resolved, and resolving them can take time, perhaps more than a year. Please be patient and check the website for any updates. However, if the Settlement is approved, and there are no appeals, payments will be emailed or mailed from the Settlement Administrator within thirty (30) days of the Court entering a final order approving the Settlement.

Unless you exclude yourself, you stay in the Class, and that means that you can’t sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Defendant about the legal issues in this case. If the settlement is approved and becomes final and not subject to appeal, then you and all class members release all “Released Claims” against all “Released Parties.”

“Released Claims” means any and all claims, rights, demand, actions, suits, liens, damages, attorneys’ fees, obligation, contracts, liabilities, agreements, costs, expenses or losses of any nature, whether known or unknown, direct or indirect, matured or unmatured, contingent or absolute, existing or potential, suspected or unsuspected, equitable or legal, and whether under federal statutory law, federal common law or federal regulation, Washington statutory law, Washington common law, or Washington regulations, or the statutes, constitutions, regulations, ordinances, common law, or any other law of any and all states or their subdivisions, parishes, or municipalities that arise out of or relate in any way to alleged violations of claims under RCW 59.18.257 that have been or could have been brought in this action.

“Released Parties” means Defendant and its respective affiliates, parents, direct and indirect subsidiaries, agents, insurers, and any company or companies under common control with any of them, and each of its respective predecessors, successors, past and present officers, directors, employees, agents, servants, accountants, attorneys, advisors, shareholders, insurers, representatives, partners, vendors, issuers, and assigns, or anyone acting on its behalf, and any and all persons or entities who played any role in the tenant application process, including but not limited to any owners of properties located in Washington and managed or then-managed by Defendant.

To exclude yourself from the settlement, you must send a signed letter by mail stating that you “want to opt out of the Ulises Lopez v. Coast Property Management Settlement.”  Please be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, and your signature. You can’t exclude yourself on the phone or by fax or email. You must mail your exclusion request postmarked no later than May 15, 2026, to:

Hoban Coast Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 1749
Baton Rouge, LA 70821

If you ask to be excluded, you will not receive any payment from this settlement. Also, you cannot object to the settlement. You will not be legally bound by anything that happens in the Action. You may be able to sue (or continue to sue) Defendant in the future about the legal issues in this case.

No. Unless you exclude yourself, you give up your right to sue Defendant and the other Released Parties for the claims that this settlement resolves. You must exclude yourself from this Class to pursue your own lawsuit. Remember, your exclusion request must be postmarked on or before May 15, 2026.

No. However, if you exclude yourself, you may exercise any right you may have to sue, continue to sue, or be part of a different lawsuit against the Defendant and the other Released Parties.

The Court appointed the law firm of Cameron Sutherland, PLLC to represent the Class. These lawyers are called Class Counsel. You will not be charged for these lawyers. The Court will determine the amount of Class Counsel’s fees and costs, which Defendant will pay as part of the settlement. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel will request from the Court an award of attorneys’ fees and out-of-pocket litigation costs up to $466,667. Class Counsel will also request up to a $10,000 Service Award for the Representative Plaintiff for serving as the class representative. These payments, along with the costs of administering the Settlement, will be made out of the Settlement Fund. You have the right to object to the requested attorneys’ fees and costs, and Service Award.

Class Counsel will file their papers in support of final approval of the settlement and their application for attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of costs, and for the Service Award, by no later than March 9, 2026. These papers will also be posted on the Settlement Website at www.HobanCoastSettlement.com.

If you are a class member, you can object to the settlement if you don’t like any part of it. You can give reasons why you think the Court should not approve it. The Court will consider your views. To object, you must file with the Court and deliver to Class Counsel and Defendant’s counsel a signed letter saying you object to the proposed settlement in Ulises Lopez v. Coast Property Management, No. 20-2-01929-32. Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, a statement indicating that you are a class member, your signature, and the reasons why you object to the settlement. Your objection and any supporting papers must be postmarked by and mailed to Class Counsel at the following address no later than May 15, 2026:

Spokane County Superior Court
Clerk’s Office
1116 W. Broadway Ave., Room 300
Spokane, WA 99260

Your objection and any supporting papers must also be delivered to Class Counsel and Defendant’s counsel at the following addresses no later than May 15, 2026:

Shayne J. Sutherland
Cameron Sutherland, PLLC
827 W. 1st Avenue, Ste. 301
Spokane, WA 99201
Class Counsel

Maxwell B. Glasson
Williams, Kastner & Gibbs, PLLC
601 West Riverside Avenue, Ste. 800
Spokane, WA 99201
Counsel for Defendant

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

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing at 1:30 p.m. on June 26, 2026, at the Spokane County Superior Court, Courtroom #408, 1116 W. Broadway Ave., Spokane, Washington, 99260. At this hearing, the Court will consider whether the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. If there are objections, the Court will consider them. Hon. Jacquelyn High-Edward may listen to people who have asked to speak at the hearing. The Court will also consider whether to approve the requested Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Service Award. After the hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. We do not know how long these decisions will take.

No. Class Counsel will answer questions Judge High-Edward may have. You are welcome to come at your own expense. If you send an objection, you don’t have to come to Court and talk about it. As long as your written objection is postmarked by May 15, 2026, the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but it’s not necessary.

You may ask the Court for permission to speak at the Fairness Hearing. To do so, you must send a letter saying that it is your “Notice of Intention to Appear” in “Ulises Lopez v. Coast Property Management, No. 20-2-01929-32.” Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, that you are a class member, a list of any documents you want the Court to consider, the names of any witnesses who you want to testify, and your signature. Your Notice of Intention to Appear must be postmarked and sent to the Court’s, Class Counsel’s, and Defendant’s Counsel’s addresses in Question 18, no later than May 15, 2026. You cannot speak at the hearing if you exclude yourself.

If you do nothing, and the Court approves the Settlement, you will receive a payment and you won’t be able to start a lawsuit, continue with a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against Defendant or the Released Parties about the legal issues resolved by this Settlement.

This Notice summarizes the proposed Settlement. More details appear in the Settlement Agreement and Release of Claims (the “Agreement”). Copies of the Agreement and the pleadings and other documents relating to the case are on file at the Spokane County Superior Court, 1116 W. Broadway Ave., Room 300, Spokane, WA 99260, and may be examined and copied at any time during regular office hours at the Court. The Settlement Agreement is also available at the settlement website, www.HobanCoastSettlement.com.

You can visit the settlement website at www.HobanCoastSettlement.com, where you will find answers to common questions about the settlement, plus other information, including a copy of the Settlement Agreement. Contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-844-699-4460 or by writing to:

Hoban Coast Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 1749
Baton Rouge, LA 70821