WSU Security Incident Class Action Website is Established

A settlement website has been set up for Class Members in a Washington State University (WSU) security incident class action lawsuit alleging the university disclosed the private information of more than 1 million people.

WSU agreed to pay $3.2 million to Class Members to resolve claims that the institution failed to properly protect their personal information when a hard drive was stolen from the Social & Economic Sciences Research Center.

Class Members include those whose personal information, financial information, or educational records were on the hard drive that was stolen in April 2017.

Under the terms of the WSU security incident class action settlement, Class Members can claim credit monitoring and insurance services and reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs and lost time. In addition, WSU has agreed to improve its security policies and procedures.

The credit monitoring and insurance services afforded to Class Members under the terms of the settlement will be provided by Identity Guard. In addition to credit monitoring, WSU security incident Class Members will receive up to $1 million in reimbursement insurance from AIG to cover losses from identity theft.

Class Members can claim out-of-pocket costs related to the data breach that they can document. Under the terms of the WSU security incident class action settlement, these costs can include credit card fees, returned check fees, card cancellation costs, the purchase of credit reports, and money spent on credit monitoring and protection.

The lost time claims under the settlement include time Class Members spent dealing with identity theft or fraud linked to the WSU security incident. The settlement will pay Class Members $15 per hour up to three hours.

The WSU security incident occurred in April 2017 when a hard drive belonging to the Social & Economic Sciences Research Center was stolen from a storage facility in Olympia, Wash. Lead plaintiffs alleged that the institution failed to properly protect sensitive personal information it had collected.

According to the WSU class action lawsuit, names, Social Security numbers, educational, and personal health information was included on the stolen hard drive. In addition, said the plaintiffs, those affected by the data breach were not informed of the details, including the nature of the information stolen.

At this time, Claim Forms are not yet available. Class Members should receive Notice of the WSU security incident class action settlement in the mail. In addition, Class Members can look over details of the settlement online at www.WSUsettlement.com.

The deadline to make a claim in the WSU security incident class action settlement is Sept. 17, 2019. The deadline for Class Members to exclude themselves or opt out is Aug. 19, 2019.

The final fairness hearing will be held Oct. 25, 2019.

The plaintiffs and Class Members are represented by Michael K. Rhodes of Mix Sanders Thompson PLLC, Kim D. Stephens and James Bulthuis of Tousley Brain Stephens PLLC, Rachel R. Bender of Bender Law PLLC, and Tina Wolfson of Ahdoot & Wolfson PC.

The WSU Security Incident Class Action Lawsuit is Armon, et al. v. Washington State University, Case No. 17-2-23244-1 SEA, in the Superior Court of the State of Washington, in and for the County of King.

UPDATE: May 2019, the WSU security incident class action settlement is now open. Click here to file a claim.

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