Whether a Florida Progress Residential tenant gets 75% or 30% of their eviction attorneys’ fees back turns on a single question: when the tenancy ended, did they owe Progress more or less than the fees they paid? Either way the money is calculated from Progress’s own ledgers and mailed automatically if the court approves the settlement. There is no claim form, and tenants who were charged the fees but never paid them get a release instead of cash.
Status: Notice approved, pending final approval | No claim form — payment is automatic | Opt-out and objection deadline November 20, 2026 | Final fairness hearing January 11, 2027, 9:30 a.m.
Which Group Are You In?
The settlement covers people in Florida who, from August 27, 2020 through August 26, 2024, were charged eviction attorneys’ fees by a Progress Residential-affiliated company before any court had awarded those fees in an eviction case. It sorts them three ways:
| Paid Class — 476 members | Paid the fees and ended the tenancy owing Progress less than they paid in those fees (or are current tenants owing less than they paid) | 75% of the eviction attorneys’ fees paid |
| Balance Class — 773 members | Paid the fees but ended the tenancy owing Progress more than they paid in those fees | 30% of the fees paid |
| Attempted Collection Class — 1,754 members | Charged the fees but did not pay them, or paid them only through a deduction from a security deposit | No cash; a release of claims Progress has or could have brought related to the lawsuit |
The membership counts come from the company’s ledger review. To put numbers on it, a tenant who paid $1,000 would get $750 in the Paid Class or $300 in the Balance Class.
What Counts as an “Eviction Attorneys’ Fee”
The settlement agreement defines it as attorneys’ fees plus certain court costs — limited to filing fees and service-of-process fees — that Progress charged a tenant before any court awarded them in an eviction case. Fees a court actually awarded are not part of the settlement.
What the Tenants Claimed
The case is Johnsten et al. v. Progress Residential, LLC et al., Case No. 2024-CA-001692, in the Circuit Court of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit in Seminole County, Florida. It combines two suits filed in August 2024 — one in Duval County and one in Seminole County — that were consolidated in Seminole County.
The plaintiffs alleged that Progress Residential-affiliated companies followed a statewide practice of charging Florida tenants eviction attorneys’ fees, along with filing and service costs, before a court had awarded them. They brought claims under the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, plus negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, declaratory judgment and breach of contract. The parties reached the settlement through mediation on June 18, 2026, and it was reached without any finding that any party did anything wrong.
No Fund to Split — and Fees Are Paid Separately
This Progress Residential eviction fees settlement does not create a fixed pot that everyone divides. Each eligible tenant’s payment is a percentage of their own fees, so one tenant’s check does not shrink because others are paid. Progress separately pays class counsel’s fees and costs — up to $300,000, as approved by the court — and all administration costs. Those amounts do not come out of tenants’ payments.
Nothing to File, but Keep Your Address Current
Checks are mailed to the address on the notice. The amounts are calculated from Progress’s tenant ledgers and payment records and reviewed by class counsel, so no receipts are needed. The Notice ID and PIN printed on the notice are used only for one thing: updating a mailing address on the Johnsten Fees Settlement website, which is run by American Legal Claim Services LLC.
Some changes need paperwork. A name change requires a marriage license, divorce decree or court order. Someone collecting for a deceased class member must provide a death certificate and proof of being the legal beneficiary.
Opting Out or Objecting
Requests for exclusion must be mailed to the administrator no later than November 20, 2026, and written objections are due the same day. The settlement website posts the instructions for both, along with the settlement agreement. A tenant who stays in and does nothing is paid automatically if the settlement is approved.
From Hearing to Check
| November 20, 2026 | Exclusion requests and objections due |
| January 11, 2027, 9:30 a.m. | Final fairness hearing before Judge Jessica J. Recksiedler |
| Effective date | If the court approves and no appeal is filed: the first business day after the 31-day window following final judgment |
| Within 14 days of the effective date | Progress funds the payments |
| Within 30 days of the effective date | Administrator mails checks |
Checks can be cashed for 90 days. Money from checks that are never cashed goes to NeighborWorks Florida Collaborative, the settlement’s cy pres recipient. No payment date had been announced as of October 3, 2026. Florida renters can also look at the SELA Realty Florida security deposit settlement, and the Progress Residential settlement page at OpenClassActions.com carries the notice and agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Progress Residential tenants need to file a claim?
No. Eligible class members are paid automatically from Progress’s tenant ledgers and payment records if the court grants final approval. Checks are mailed to the address on the notice.
Why do some tenants get 75% and others 30%?
It depends on what the tenant owed at the end of the tenancy. Paid Class members, who ended owing Progress less than they paid in eviction attorneys’ fees, get 75% of the fees paid. Balance Class members, who ended owing more than they paid in those fees, get 30%.
What do tenants who never paid the fees receive?
Members of the Attempted Collection Class, who were charged the fees but did not pay them or had them taken only from a security deposit, receive no cash. Instead, the settlement releases claims Progress has or could have brought against them related to the subject of the lawsuit.
Does the $300,000 in attorneys’ fees reduce my payment?
No. Progress pays class counsel’s fees and costs, up to $300,000 as approved by the court, and all administration costs separately from the payments to class members.
What is the Notice ID and PIN for?
Only for updating a mailing address on the settlement website. It is not needed to get paid.
How long do I have to cash the check?
Settlement checks can be cashed for 90 days after they are mailed. Money from uncashed checks goes to NeighborWorks Florida Collaborative.
Sources
- Official settlement website, administered by American Legal Claim Services LLC — JohnstenFeesSettlement.com.
- Court-ordered notice and Class Action Settlement Agreement, Johnsten et al. v. Progress Residential, LLC et al., Case No. 2024-CA-001692, Circuit Court of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, Seminole County, Florida.
- OpenClassActions.com — Progress Residential Florida Eviction Attorney Fees Settlement.
Source and credit: the settlement terms, deadlines and benefit details described above are drawn from our sister site’s reporting — OpenClassActions.com: Progress Residential Florida Eviction Attorney Fees Settlement — which tracks this case against the court-approved notice and the official settlement website and is updated as the court rules.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. OpenClassActions.org is a consumer news site, not a law firm and not the settlement administrator, and is not affiliated with any party to the case described. The allegations are allegations; unless a court has ruled, the defendants deny wrongdoing and no court has decided the merits. Deadlines, benefit amounts and payment timing can change as the court and the administrator act, so confirm current status on the official settlement website. You never need to pay anyone to file a claim or to receive a settlement payment.