Top Class Actions  |  October 9, 2020

Category: Closed Class Actions

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This settlement is closed!

Please see what other class action settlements you might qualify to claim cash from in our Open Settlements directory!

equifax credit report website

UPDATE:

  • Top Class Actions viewers have begun receiving payout checks for $79.31 as of early April 2021.
  • Congratulations to everyone who made a claim and got paid!

Equifax has agreed to pay $19.5 million to resolve claims from the Indiana attorney general surrounding a 2017 data breach.

The settlement benefits individuals who were Indiana residents between March 2017 and July 2017 and whose information was affected by the Equifax data breach.

Between May 2017 and June 2017, Equifax — one of the world’s largest credit bureaus — was reportedly subject to a data breach that affected nearly 150 million Americans. During this data breach, various sensitive information was compromised such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers.

Unfortunately, the data breach was preventable, according to U.S. officials.

In December 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee 0n Oversight and Government Reform published its investigation, which concluded the breach was “entirely preventable.”

Soon after the breach was disclosed, Equifax started to face legal action from citizens and officials.

In May 2019, the Office of the Indiana Attorney General filed its own lawsuit against Equifax — hoping to hold the company accountable for failing to protect the privacy of 3.9 million Indiana residents.

According to the Indiana Equifax data breach lawsuit, Equifax knew it was the potential target of hackers due to the valuable information it stores. Despite this, Equifax Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Smith allegedly spent years aggressively growing the company while failing to implement measures to protect from the expanding data security risks to its systems.

“As one of the three primary credit-reporting agencies, Equifax had, and continues to have heightened duty to implement and maintain strong security measures to protect that sensitive data,” the Indiana Equifax data breach lawsuit alleges.

Earlier this year, Equifax agreed to an additional settlement with the Indiana attorney general. In the deal, Equifax has agreed to pay $19.5 million to benefit Indiana residents.

Indiana was one of two states in the country that opted out of participating in another settlement last year. In that lawsuit and settlement, Equifax agreed to pay $175 million.

Although Indiana opted out of that settlement, the new settlement website notes Indiana’s total $19.5 million settlement recovery exceeds the amount received by any of the states that participated in the larger settlement.

Under the terms of the Indiana Equifax data breach settlement, the $19.5 million settlement fund will be used to cover the costs of the litigation and payments to consumers. The net settlement fund will reportedly be distributed evenly amongst Class Members who file a valid claim. Exact payment amounts will depend on the number of valid claim forms filed.

In order to benefit from the settlement, Class Members must file a valid claim form by Dec. 16, 2020. According to the settlement website, a claim form is required even if Class Members submitted a claim to the nationwide settlement. Claims can be filed online or by printing a claim form and mailing it to the settlement administrator.

There is no final approval hearing scheduled for this settlement. Final judgement was issued by the court in April.

Who’s Eligible

Individuals who were Indiana residents between March 2017 and July 2017 and whose information was affected by the Equifax data breach.

Potential Award

TBD.

Under the terms of the settlement, the $19.5 million settlement fund will be used to cover the costs of the litigation and payments to consumers. The net settlement fund will reportedly be distributed evenly amongst Class Members who file a valid claim. Exact payment amounts will depend on the number of valid claim forms filed.

Proof of Purchase

N/A

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

12/16/2020

Case Name

State of Indiana v. Equifax Information Services LLC, et al., Case No. 49-D01-1905-PL-018398, in the Superior Court for Marion County, Indiana

Final Hearing

N/A

Settlement Website
Claims Administrator

Indiana Equifax Claims
c/o A.B. Data Ltd.
P.O. Box 173048
Milwaukee, WI 53217
1-877-868-6795

Class Counsel

Section Chief Douglas S. Swetnam
DATA PRIVACY & IDENTITY THEFT UNIT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL

Defense Counsel

David L. Balser
S. Stewart Haskins II
KING & SPALDING LLP

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14 thoughts onIndiana Equifax Data Breach Class Action Settlement

  1. Upset says:

    I requested to get my payment sent via PayPal and the only option I have is this annoying virtual MasterCard .. Why were the payments not sent per request? Did anybody else have this issue?

  2. PWS says:

    79.31 n TN 4/7/21

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Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.