COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) – If you had your driver’s license laminated between July 2018 and July 2019, you may be entitled to a free soda — or a candy bar or something.

That was when Ohio deputy registrars unlawfully charged a $1.50 fee to laminate driver’s licenses and ID cards, as alleged by a class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 against the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, according to a news release from the Ohio BMV.

The lawsuit alleges state constitutional violations and unjust enrichment that requires restitution. Attorneys are now working to get Ohio motorists’ hard-earned money back.

Ohio’s Court of Claims certified the class in 2020. Anyone who paid a lamination fee between July 2, 2018, and July 2, 2019, at one of Ohio’s 179 BMV locations — or had someone pay it on their behalf — is part of the class.

The BMV disputes the claims. The court has not yet ruled on the merits of the case.

The court has appointed attorneys whose services are free for class members. Marc Dann of Dann Law can be reached at 216-373-0539 and Thomas Zimmerman Jr. of Zimmerman Law Offices can be reached at 312-440-0020.

Class members who want to retain their own attorneys, however, need to exclude themselves from the class-action lawsuit. The deadline to file for exclusion is Nov. 6, 2023. The form to opt-out can be found here — but the website was not yet established as of Wednesday morning.