Target Data Breach Class Action Settlement

Do you remember the massive massive Target data breach that occurred over the 2013 holiday season? A $10 million class action settlement has finally been reached, and you may be eligible to claim a cash payment if your credit/debit card information and/or your personal information was stolen as a result of the Target data breach.

If granted final approval, the deal will resolve dozens of class action lawsuits (consolidated as In re Target Corp. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation) that allege the retailer failed to protect customers’ financial data from thieves who stole credit and debit card information from 40 million customers who shopped at Target stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 18, 2013.

Early last year, the company revealed that additional personal information, such as email and home mailing addresses, had also been stolen from between 70 million to 110 million other Target customers.

Target denies any wrongdoing and vigorously fought to have the class action lawsuits dismissed. The retailer eventually entered into a class action settlement agreement to put an end to the litigation and avoid the uncertainty of going to trial.

A federal judge preliminarily approved the Target data breach settlement in March.

UPDATE: Target has also agreed to a class action settlement with financial institutions that were affected by the data breach. Financial institutions can get more information about the settlement at www.TargetBankSettlement.com. The deadline to file a claim for the Target bank class action settlement is March 22, 2016.

UPDATE 2: On Jan. 27, 2016, an objection to the $10 million Target data breach class action lawsuit settlement deal was dismissed by the 8th Circuit on appeal.

UPDATE 3: On Apr. 21, 2016, plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation against Target Corp. over the infamous 2013 data breach are asking the Eighth Circuit Court to ignore claims made by an objector in the settlement.

UPDATE 4: On Feb. 1, 2017, the Eighth Circuit Court of appeals reversed the class certification and directed the district court to make a new ruling and explain its findings. According to the settlement website, claims will not be paid until class certification is resolved. This could take several more months. Please keep checking Top Class Actions for updates. We are following the case and will let our viewers know as soon as the class certification decision is made!

UPDATE 5: On June 13, 2018, the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the approval of the Target Data Breach class action settlement.  According to the settlement website, as long as appeals to the most recent ruling do not occur, claims will be processed “as soon as practicable”. Top Class Actions will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

UPDATE 6: On June 28, 2018, a petition for rehearing en banc with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. According to the settlement website, it could take a number of weeks before the petition for rehearing en banc is accepted or rejected. Top Class Actions will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

UPDATE 7 November 29, 2018: Appeals to the Target Data Breach settlement have been resolved.  The settlement administrator is currently working through the claim review and audit process, with settlement payments to follow in early 2019. Let Top Class Actions know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

UPDATE 8: According to the settlement website, checks to claimants with valid documented claims were mailed on May 31, 2019.  It is not known how quickly checks to claimants with undocumented claims will be mailed. Top Class Actions will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

UPDATE 9: On Aug. 22, 2019, Top Class Actions viewers started getting checks from the Target data breach class action settlement worth as much as $1,201.88. Congratulations to everyone who filed a claim and got PAID!

Who’s Eligible

You are included in the Target data breach class action settlement if you received notice directly about the breach or if:

• You shopped at a Target store and used your credit or debit card from Nov. 27 through Dec. 18, 2013;
• You provided your contact information to Target any time before Dec. 18, 2013; or
• Your bank, credit card company, or other financial institution issued you a new credit or debit card shortly after December 2013; and the letter accompanying the new card said that your old card may have been compromised.

Potential Award

Up to $10,000. According to Court documents, shoppers affected by the Target data breach could be awarded up to $10,000 each in damages if they can prove that they incurred such losses. [More information about what “reimbursement of losses” means can be found in the Settlement Notice.]

If you do not have documentation you may be eligible to file for an equal share of the Settlement Fund after claims are paid out for those with documented losses and service payments are made to Settlement Class Representatives. This means your payment will be based on: (1) how many people file claims without documentation, (2) the amount the Court awards as service payments to Settlement Class Representatives, and (3) the number of valid claims filed.

The Settlement Administrator provides the following example:

“[I]f the amount the Court awards as service payments plus the amount of documentary claims add up to a total of $1,000,000, and 300,000 Settlement Class Members submit valid claims without documentation, each of these Settlement Class Members will receive an equal $30 share of the Settlement Fund.”

This is just an example. There is no way to tell how much money could be awarded until after all claims have been filed and verified.

Proof of Purchase

You will need to provide proof of losses incurred from the Target data breach in order to be reimbursed for your losses.

Claim Form

Note: Claim Forms were not available at publish time. The Settlement Administrator states it will begin accepting claims at the end of April 2015.  Once the online claim process is available, you will have until July 31, 2015 to submit your claim if you qualify.

Claim Form Deadline

07/31/2015

Case Name

In re: Target Corp. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, MDL No. 2522, U.S. District Court of Minnesota

Final Hearing

11/10/2015

UPDATE: The Target data breach class action settlement received final approval on Nov. 17, 2015.

Settlement Website

www.TargetBreachSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Target Data Breach Settlement
c/o Rust Consulting
P.O. Box 2239, Faribault, MN 55021-1639

Toll-Free: 1-866-680-5931

Class Counsel

Vincent J. Esades
HEINS MILLS & OLSON, P.L.C.

Defense Counsel

David F. McDowell
MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP