Office of Personnel Management data breach $63M class action settlement

EDITOR’S NOTE: This content has been sponsored and edited for clarity in collaboration with the sponsor.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and its contractor Peraton agreed to pay $63 million in relation to a settlement in a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that OPM and Peraton compromised personal information of then-current and former federal government employees and contractors, as well as certain applicants for federal employment. OPM and Peraton deny they have done anything wrong but have agreed to settle the lawsuit.

The settlement benefits consumers who suffered losses in connection to the Office of Personnel Management’s 2014 and 2015 cyber attacks or Peraton’s 2013 and 2014 cyber attacks.

OPM is a federal agency that serves as human resources for federal government employees. This agency is responsible for retirement benefits, insurance and other benefits for federal employees.

To be eligible to make a claim, the class member’s personal information must have been compromised in the data breaches, and they must also have suffered an out-of-pocket expense or lost compensable time:

1. To purchase a credit monitoring product, credit or identity theft protection product, or other product or service designed to identify or remediate the data breaches
2. To access, freeze or unfreeze a credit report with a credit reporting agency; or
3. As a result of an identity theft incident or to mitigate an identity theft incident

Under the terms of the settlement, class members who submit a valid claim by Dec. 23, 2022, can collect a cash payment. Under the settlement, each claim will be valued at $700 or the actual amount of the claim — whichever is greater — up to a maximum of $10,000. In order to receive a payment from the settlement, class members must submit a valid claim form by Dec. 23, 2022. Visit www.OPMDataBreach.com to make a claim.

OPM (as authorized by Congress) has made free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services available to all individuals whose personal information was compromised in the data breaches. Those who have not signed up for these services but wish to do so may visit https://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity/ or call 1-800-750-3004 Monday through Saturday, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Sept. 9, 2022. Class members who exclude themselves do not benefit from the settlement but will keep their legal rights against the defendants. The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for Oct. 14, 2022. Class members do not need to attend this hearing but may choose to do so.

Who’s Eligible

The settlement benefits those who suffered losses in connection to the Office of Personnel Management’s 2014 and 2015 cyber attacks or Peraton’s 2013 and 2014 cyber attacks and if, after May 7, 2014, you suffered an out-of-pocket expense or lost compensable time: (1) to purchase a credit monitoring product, credit or identity theft protection product, or other product or service designed to identify or remediate the data breaches; (2) to access, freeze or unfreeze a credit report with a credit reporting agency; or (3) as a result of an identity theft incident or to mitigate an identity theft incident. 

Potential Award

Up to $10,000

Proof of Purchase

Documentation of expenses related to the data breach, including receipts, invoices and other proof.

Claim Form

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Claims Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Claims or Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

12/23/2022

Case Name

In re: U.S. Office of Personnel Management Data Security Breach Litigation, Case No. 15-1394, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Final Hearing

10/14/2022

Settlement Website

OPMdatabreach.com

Claims Administrator

Epiq Class Action & Claims Solutions Inc.

Class Counsel

Daniel C. Girard
GIRARD SHARP 

David H. Thompson
COOPER & KIRK PLLC

Tina Wolfson
AHDOOT & WOLFSON

John Yanchunis
MORGAN & MORGAN COMPLEX CASE LITIGATION GROUP

Gary E. Mason
MASON LLP

Norman E. Siegel
STUEVE SIEGEL HANSON LLP

Class counsel can be reached by calling (415) 981-4800 or emailing OPM@girardsharp.com.