Bricker & Eckler data breach $1.9M class action settlement

Bricker & Eckler agreed to pay $1.95 million as part of a class action lawsuit settlement to resolve claims its 2021 data breach compromised health system patient information. 

The settlement benefits individuals whose personal, medical or financial information was potentially exposed in the Bricker & Eckler data breach between Jan. 14 and Jan. 31, 2021.

Bricker & Eckler is an Ohio law firm that provides legal services to a number of healthcare systems in the state. In January 2021, the firm was the victim of a ransomware attack that accessed and stole client and patient information of over 420,000 individuals. The law firm announced this data breach in April 2021 and offered affected patients one year of free identity theft protection through Experian IdentityWorks.

Consumers quickly took legal action against the law firm, arguing their information was exposed to hackers due to subpar cybersecurity measures. Plaintiffs in the case say the data breach could have been avoided or minimized through reasonable security policies. By failing to properly protect sensitive information from healthcare clients, Bricker & Eckler allegedly caused the data breach through negligence.

Bricker & Eckler hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to resolve these allegations with a $1.95 million class action settlement.

Under the terms of the settlement, class members can receive a cash payment based on their losses resulting from the data breach.

Each class member can claim up to $5,000 in reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses such as identity theft protection services, credit monitoring, fraudulent charges and more. 

Class members can also receive payments for lost time resulting from the data breach. Class members can claim up to four hours of undocumented lost time at a rate of $20 per hour for a maximum payment of $80.

Class members can claim an additional eight hours of documented lost time at the same rate of $20 per hour for an additional payment of up to $160.

Claiming the maximum allowed documented and undocumented lost time will result in payments of up to $240. 

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Nov. 7, 2022.

The final approval hearing for the Bricker & Eckler data breach class action lawsuit settlement is scheduled for Nov. 17, 2022.

In order to receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Dec. 21, 2022.

Who’s Eligible

Individuals whose personal, medical or financial information was potentially exposed in the Bricker data breach between Jan. 14 and Jan. 31, 2021.

Potential Award

Varies

Proof of Purchase

Reasonable documentation such as receipts, telephone records or contemporaneous correspondence.

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 Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a 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

12/21/2022

Case Name

In re: Southern Ohio Health Systems Data Breach Litigation, Case No. A2101886 in the Court of Common Pleas for Hamilton County, Ohio

Final Hearing

11/17/2022

Settlement Website

SouthernOhioHealthSystemDataBreachSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Southern Ohio Health Systems Data Breach
c/o CPT GROUP, Inc.
50 Corporate Park
Irvine, CA 92606
SOHSDataBreachSettlement@cptgroup.com
888-846-0459

Class Counsel

Joseph M. Lyon
THE LYON FIRM

Jeffrey S. Goldenberg
GOLDENBERG SCHNEIDER LPA

Brian D. Flick
DANNLAW

Defense Counsel

Jennifer O. Mitchell
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP