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Office of the Monitor |
Post Office Box 64511 |
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Dear Claimant: I am writing to you because our records indicate that you are a prevailing class member in the Pigford v. Schafer case – the nationwide class action brought by black farmers alleging race discrimination by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Because you are a prevailing claimant, you may have the right to debt relief. This means that you may have a right to forgiveness of certain USDA farm loans that are still outstanding. You may also have the right to refunds of certain payments you made or refunds of certain offsets against federal payments that USDA took and applied to your loan(s). Finally, you may have the right to have adjustments made to certain loans that were forgiven in the past but that were forgiven through a mechanism that prevents you from getting future loans or loan servicing. It is important to understand, though, that in many cases prevailing Pigford claimants continue to have outstanding USDA debt that is not entitled to forgiveness. As the Pigford case winds down, the parties have agreed that there should be one last check to make sure that all appropriate debt relief is granted. Included with this letter is a newly revised version of Monitor Update No. 10, "Debt Relief for Prevailing Class Members." This Update summarizes the debt relief that is due to Pigford claimants. If you have any questions regarding your right to debt relief or need additional information, and/or your federal payments are being offset and you are concerned, please feel free to call class counsel toll free at 1-866-492-6200, or the Monitor’s office toll free at 1-877-924-7483. Sincerely,
Randi Ilyse Roth |