District Court Grants Preliminary Approval for $1.5 Million Class Action Settlement Over Insurance Company Data Breach | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

On August 27, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina granted a plaintiff’s motion without opposition for preliminary approval of a class action lawsuit settlement related to a December 2022 insurance data breach. The court approved a class of plaintiffs that includes all individuals in the U.S. whose private information was compromised in the breach.

The court found that the proposed $1.5 million settlement was “fair, reasonable and sufficient.” The settlement included both monetary and non-monetary benefits, and the court found that the parties agreed to the settlement through “good faith, distance negotiations.” The court approved the proposed notice program, which included informing class members of their rights and the process for filing claims, objecting to the settlement, or opting out. Class members who wish to exclude themselves must file a written request by the specified opt-out date, while those who wish to object must file a written notice by the objection deadline. Participating class members can claim a period of free credit monitoring and request up to $10,000.