Indiana BMV Issuing Overcharge Refunds

By Mike Perleberg (Indianapolis, Ind.) - You may be in line for a refund from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The Indiana BMV says it is sending a total of $28.75 million to about five million customers who were overcharged by the BMV in years past. The refunds may be shown as a credit on customers’ accounts which can be used at the BMV, or a check for the amount can be requested. “We are currently determining the most efficient ways to contact customers about their refunds, including email notification, postcards, and online notification through BMV’s website,” said BMV commissioner Kent Abernathy. Visit myBMV.com to find out if you have received a refund. About $29 million in overcharges were the subject of multiple lawsuits dating back to 2013. There is debate between the Indian BMV and the attorney representing the class-action lawsuit, Irwin Levin of Cohen & Malad, LLP, regarding a portion of the refunds. On Friday, Levin filed a court motion asking that the BMV take back one-third of the refunds that have already been returned to customers so that it may be “set aside” for the law firm. “BMV has been issuing refunds since before the current lawsuit, which Mr. Levin claimed was filed to benefit BMV’s customers. Mr. Levin also claimed to be representing the best interests of Hoosier taxpayers. This request for the court to order BMV to take money away from those same taxpayers flies in the face of Mr. Levin’s claim to be representing their best interests,” said BMV General Counsel Adam Krupp. “It is stunning and inappropriate for Mr. Levin, or any lawyer, while claiming to represent Hoosiers’ best interests, to directly seek to take money out of Hoosiers’ pockets,” Krupp added. About $2 million in additional overcharges were discovered by the BMV in 2015. The BMV blamed the overcharges on an overly complex fee structure that had existed in Indiana law for several years prior to changes made in House Enrolled Act 1087, which was passed by state lawmakers in March.