Maryland labor department settles lawsuit over unemployment payments, agrees to make changes

The state labor department will have to refund some unemployment claimants who were forced to repay benefits they were overpaid during the pandemic, according to a settlement agreement effective Wednesday. The agreement ends a federal class action lawsuit filed against Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson in November 2021. Lawyers for six Marylanders, who say the agency mishandled their unemployment claims during the pandemic, filed the suit on behalf of tens of thousands who struggled to get their benefits.