Manatee County, Florida School District Employee Data Breach Settlement

A $300,000 settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit brought by school district employees in Manatee County, Florida who allegedly suffered damages related to a massive data breach in January 2017.

On Jan. 26, 2017, the School District for Manatee County, Florida suffered from a massive data breach when a payroll employee responded to an email phishing scam. The data breach reportedly compromised the W-2 tax information of 7,700 employees who worked in the school district.

A $300,000 settlement has been established to benefit employees affected by the data breach and to resolve claims brought in a class action lawsuit. Numerous types of compensation are available for employees affected by the data breach who may have had their sensitive tax information compromised.

In addition to monetary relief, the following injunctive relief has been approved as part of the settlement:

1. Awareness Campaign: A campaign to educate Class Members about the coverage and claims process of the AllClear ID services.
2. Cybersecurity Training for HR Personnel: New training for the school board’s human resources and payroll employees.
3. Company Cybersecurity Program: A designated employee or committee to coordinate the school board’s cybersecurity program.
4. New Cybersecurity Protocols: The development of new protocols for the security of files containing employee personal identifying information and the electronic transfer of the files.

The final approval hearing was scheduled for Sept. 13, 2018, but eligible Class Members can submit claims until Oct. 18, 2019.

Who’s Eligible

All current and former Manatee County, Florida School District employees whose W-2 data was compromised as a result of the January 2017 data disclosure.

Potential Award

Up to $500 and identity theft monitoring.

(1) Reimbursement of up to 12 months of identity theft monitoring protection services not to exceed $150. This relief is available for Class Members who independently purchased identity theft monitoring services following the data disclosure.

(2) An additional 12 months subscription to AllClear ID, a identity theft monitoring service. This additional year is granted in addition to the two years of service also provided to Class Members.

(3) Up to three of the four categories (categories (a) and (b) are mutually exclusive) of available compensation:

a. A payment of $250 for Class Members who had a false or fraudulent tax return filed after Jan. 26, 2017.

b. A payment of $150 for Class Members who had an IRS tax transcript requested without their authorization using their personal identifiable information.

c. A payment of $150 for Class Members who experienced incidents of identity theft other than those described in categories (a) and (b).

d. Reimbursement of up to $500 for Class Members who suffered out of pocket expenses (other than the purchase of identity theft service) as a result of the data disclosure.

More award information is available in #5 of the FAQs section on the settlement website.

Proof of Purchase

Documentary proof of monthly costs associated with identity theft monitoring is required for award (1).

Proof of a false tax return is required for award (3)(a).

Proof of a fraudulent IRS tax transcription request is required for award (3)(b).

Documentation of fraudulent activity is required for award (3)(c).

Reasonable documentation is required for award (3)(d).

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.

Claim Form Deadline

10/18/2019

Case Name

Albert, et al. v. School Board of Manatee Country Florida, Case No. 17-CA-004113, in the Circuit Court of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit in and for Manatee County, Florida

Final Hearing

9/13/2018

Settlement Website

www.AlbertvManateeSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Albert v. Manatee School Board
Claims Administrator – Epiq
P.O. Box 3240
Portland, OR 97208-3240
1-888-735-9711

Class Counsel

John A. Yanchunis
Marisa Glassman
MORGAN & MORGAN COMPLEX LITIGATION GROUP

Ronald G. Meyer
MEYER BROOKS DEMMA and BLOHM PA

Jean Sutton Martin
LAW OFFICE OF JEAN SUTTON MARTIN PLLC

Defense Counsel

John E. Clabby
Joseph W. Swanson
Steven M. Blickensderfer
CARLTON FIELDS JORDEN BURT PA