Opinion ID: 790408
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Class Action Petitioners' Mandamus Petition

Text: 22 The Class Action Petitioners also assert that they were denied their right to restitution, arguing that [t]he Government sought an order designating this matter as a case involving multiple crime victims in order to avoid the victims' right to full and timely restitution and that [t]he District Court ignored the Government's failure to satisfy its obligations under the [CVRA] and under the [Attorney General] Guidelines [for Victim and Witness Assistance]. See Class Action Petition, 22, 24. With respect to the notification provision of the CVRA, they contend that the Government failed to make its best efforts to identify and personally notify all the crime victims, as required by § 3771(c). See id. 23 The Class Action Petitioners also contend that they were not afforded an opportunity to confer with the Government concerning the disposition of the case—a right enumerated in § 3771(a)(5). See id. at 21-22. In addition, they argue that: (1) the district court did not have the authority to approve the Settlement Agreement at the May 18 hearing because the notice to victims merely stated that the hearing was for the purpose of addressing the Government's motion to use alternative victim-notification procedures, not for approving the settlement; (2) the non-prosecution agreement between Adelphia and the Government violated laws governing civil and criminal forfeitures; and (3) the district court improperly rejected the Class Action Petitioners' challenges to the Government's proposed notice procedures because those procedures omitted material facts and violated federal and New York laws. See id. at 24-29. 24