$385,000 Pierce County Library System data breach class action settlement

By Top Class Actions | August 18, 2026

Category: Legal News

(Photo Credit: Digineer Station/Shutterstock)

Pierce County Library System (PCLS) has agreed to pay $385,000 as part of a class action settlement resolving claims stemming from a data breach that may have compromised the personal information of current and former employees, contractors and their family members.

The Pierce County Library System settlement covers current and former employees and their family members as well as current and former contractors who received notice from PCLS that their personal information may have been affected by the data incident.

According to the class action lawsuit resolved by this settlement, PCLS failed to adequately safeguard personally identifiable information, resulting in a cyberattack that exposed class members’ sensitive data and left them vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.

PCLS is a public library system that provides library and community services to residents of Pierce County, Washington.

Pierce County Library System has not admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to the class action settlement to resolve the allegations.

Under the terms of the Pierce County Library System settlement, class members can receive up to $250 for ordinary out-of-pocket losses — such as bank fees, phone charges, data charges, postage, gas for local travel or fees for credit monitoring or identity theft protection products — incurred as a result of the data breach.

Class members may also seek up to $4,000 for extraordinary losses, which must be documented, unreimbursed losses tied to fraud or identity theft that occurred after the data breach and are not covered by another reimbursement category.

All class members are eligible to claim up to $20 per hour, capped at four hours ($80 maximum), for time spent addressing issues related to the data breach.

All class members can also claim three years of credit monitoring from one credit bureau and identity restoration services backed by $1 million in identity theft insurance with no deductible.

Reimbursement for monetary losses and attested lost time are subject to a combined $385,000 cap. If total valid claims exceed that amount, payments in these categories will be reduced pro rata.

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Aug. 28, 2026.

A final approval hearing for the Pierce County Library System settlement is scheduled for Oct. 9, 2026.

To receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Sept. 28, 2026.

Who’s Eligible

The class action settlement benefits all current and former employees and their family members as well as current and former contractors who received notice from PCLS that their personal information may have been affected by the data incident.

Potential Award

Up to $4,000

Proof of Purchase

Third-party documentation, such as receipts or billing statements, supporting claims for ordinary or extraordinary losses. Self-prepared documents, such as handwritten receipts, are not sufficient on their own to support a claim.

Claim Form

CLICK HERE TO FILE A CLAIM »

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.