A class-action complaint filed July 22 in Solano County Superior Court names Sheriff Brad DeWall and iWebVisit.com LLC, alleging the county eliminated in-person jail visits and collected a cut of overpriced video calls under a 2014 revenue-sharing contract.

Four family members of Solano County jail inmates filed a class-action lawsuit on July 22 in Solano County Superior Court, alleging that the Sheriff's Office and telecommunications contractor iWebVisit.com LLC charged $9.00 per 30-minute video call after a federal rate cap had already taken effect — and that both parties profited from the arrangement under a contract signed more than a decade ago.

The FCC cap, which the SF Chronicle reports at $5.70 per 30-minute call and which took effect April 6, 2026, means iWebVisit was allegedly collecting a $3.30 overage on every call. At two calls a week over a year of incarceration, a family could pay close to $1,000 for contact with a jailed relative, per the Chronicle's own arithmetic. (Note: one source cites the cap at $5.00 rather than $5.70; the exact FCC rule language has not been independently verified here.)

The sharpest detail in the complaint: around May 19 — seven weeks after the FCC cap took effect — some plaintiffs saw their per-call charges quietly drop to the lower rate with no notification, per SF Gate. The Sheriff's Office website continued listing $9.00.

The financial structure behind the lawsuit is public record. A 2014 Solano County Board of Supervisors document (File #14-0012, Solano Legistar) shows the county receives a sliding-scale commission of 15% to 35% of iWebVisit's gross revenue once the company recoups startup costs. In fiscal year 2024–25, the county collected approximately $147,000 from those fees, deposited into an Inmate Welfare Fund the county says supports drug counseling, GED classes, and chaplain services, per Davis Vanguard and Solano Legistar. That revenue share gave the Sheriff's Office a direct financial stake in call volume and pricing — the core theory of profiteering the lawsuit advances.

The case is captioned Etter v. Solano County, Solano County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Brad DeWall, and iWebVisit.com, LLC. The lead plaintiff is BaKari Etter, a minor represented by guardian ad litem LaKetha Bairfield; other named plaintiffs include Deborah Fernandez, Kenetra Chappelle, and Joseph Duran Jr. A Solano County Superior Court case number had not been publicly assigned as of Sunday.

Sgt. Rex Hawkins, the office's public information officer, told SF Gate: "As is our practice with any pending litigation, the Solano County Sheriff's Office cannot make any comment on this matter." iWebVisit did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the SF Chronicle or SF Gate.

What's still unconfirmed: the exact FCC cap figure; the court case number; whether the county was at the maximum 35% commission tier when the alleged overcharges occurred; and no legal response from either defendant has been filed or made public as of Sunday.