Lurie Children’s Hospital data breaches class action settlement

Lurie Children’s Hospital agreed to a class action settlement to resolve claims its poor cybersecurity resulted in two data breaches involving medical records.

The settlement benefits individuals who received a written notification that their medical records or a family member’s medical records may have been compromised by a Lurie Children’s Hospital employee between Sept. 10, 2018, and Sept. 22, 2019, or from Nov. 1, 2018, to Feb. 29, 2020.

Lurie Children’s Hospital is a Chicago healthcare provider that specializes in providing pediatric care. The hospital has been a leader in local child care for 139 years, according to its website.

However, patients may have had their information compromised in not one but two data breaches.

In late 2019, Lurie Children’s Hospital revealed one of its employees had accessed patient data without a valid business reason to do so between September 2018 and September 2019. The employee reportedly gained access to patient names, addresses, birth dates and sensitive medical information.

This was not the last time Lurie Children’s Hospital patient data would be accessed by unauthorized employees. In May 2020, the hospital sent out an additional alert informing patients that their information had been wrongly accessed by an employee between November 2018 and February 2020. Like the first breach, this breach reportedly affected patient information and health data. 

Although an investigation by the hospital revealed patient data hadn’t been misused by employees, affected patients and their parents took legal action against Lurie Children’s Hospital for failing to protect this sensitive information.

According to a class action lawsuit against the hospital, Lurie Children’s should have better monitored and controlled employee access to patient data. 

The hospital hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to a class action settlement to put an end to these allegations.

The settlement doesn’t include any monetary benefits but includes several non-monetary benefits. 

The hospital has agreed to several improved security measures including increased monitoring of employee access, better protection for highly sensitive data and additional employee training on medical records. These measures aim to better protect hospital patient data from breaches.

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Jan. 4, 2023. 

The final approval hearing for the hospital data breaches settlement is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2023.

No claim form is required to benefit from the settlement. Class members who do not exclude themselves will release their claims and automatically benefit from the injunctive relief provided by the settlement.

Who’s Eligible

Individuals who received a written notification that their medical records or a family member’s medical records may have been compromised by a Lurie Children’s Hospital employee between 09/10/2018 – 09/22/2019 and 11/01/2018 – 02/29/2020

Potential Award

Non-monetary benefits

• Increased monitoring of employee access
• Better protection for highly sensitive data
• Additional employee training on medical records

Proof of Purchase

No proof of purchase applicable

Claim Form

No claim form applicable

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.

Exclusion Deadline

01/04/2023

Case Name

Doe v. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Case No. 2020-CH-04123, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, County Department, Chancery Division

Final Hearing

01/25/2023

Settlement Website

DoeLurieSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Doe v. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
c/o Analytics Consulting LLC
P.O. Box 2004
Chanhassen, MN 55317-2004
info@doeluriesettlement.com
855-511-0378

Class Counsel

J Eli Wade-Scott
EDELSON PC

Defense Counsel

Scott Lashway
Mara O’Malley
MANATT PHELPS & PHILLIPS LLP