SELECT Americans could get cash from a settlement soon and there’s no proof required.
The direct payment opportunity comes after a class action lawsuit was filed against a physical therapy company.
A data breach settlement will send out payments of up to $5,000 (stock image)[/caption]
The funds come amid a class action lawsuit against a physical therapy company (stock image)[/caption]
Plaintiffs in the suit accused Upstream Rehabilitation of failing to protect clients’ information that was exposed to hackers and third parties as part of a data breach, per a website created for the case.
Upstream Rehabilitation has 1,200 locations nationwide.
The breach took place between January 24 and 31, 2023, and February 3 and 9, 2023.
Upstream Rehabilitation allegedly did not have reasonable cybersecurity measures to prevent the data breach.
This allowed for birth dates, names, demographic information, diagnoses, health insurance data, and more to be leaked, according to plaintiffs.
While Upstream Rehabilitation has not admitted any wrongdoing, it agreed to a $4.3 million settlement to resolve the claims and avoid further legal costs.
ELIGIBILITY & FILING A CLAIM
Those who qualify for a payment from the settlement pot must’ve had their personal health information with Upstream Rehabilitation exposed during the two data breach periods.
That’s the only requirement, and those who are already part of the class should’ve gotten a notice in the mail or by email.
The notice will include a Unique ID and PIN to enter on the settlement website to file a claim.
Those who did not receive their Unique ID and PIN and still download a paper claim form on the website to submit by mail to the settlement administrator.
PAYMENT
No proof is required to file a claim or obtain compensation from the data breach settlement, but having documentation of any losses would drastically increase the amount.
For example, any qualifying claimant who documented monetary losses as a result of the data breach through credit expenses, fraudulent charges, identity theft damages, professional fees, or otherwise can get up to $5,000.
They would additionally get three years of free credit monitoring.
Those without any proof of losses will still get a pro rata distribution of the settlement fund.
What’s a class-action settlement?
Class action lawsuits offer groups of people, or ‘classes,’ a way to band together in court.
These suits are often brought by one or a few people who allege a company or other entity has wronged a large group of people.
When a suit becomes a class action, it extends to all “class members,” or people who may have similar complaints to those who filed the suit.
Companies often settle class actions – offering payment to class members who typically waive their right to pursue further legal action by accepting money.
These payout agreements frequently include statements by the defendant denying wrongdoing. Companies tend to settle class actions to avoid the costs of further litigation.
Pollution, discrimination, or false advertising are a few examples of what can land a class action on a company’s doorstep.
The current estimate is around $50 per claimant, but that number could be lower or higher depending on eligible claims filed.
DEADLINES
Claimants should be wary of the deadline to file coming up on January 30, 2025.
A deadline for exclusion and objection already passed on December 31, 2024.
There’s a final approval hearing for the case on February 24, 2025.
Funds will likely be distributed sometime soon after.
Americans should also be aware of other ongoing settlements.
Hospital patients could get a one-time payment of up to $5,000 from a settlement but have just days left to file a claim.
Healthy eaters could also get checks up to $173,330 from a food poisoning settlement, and there are four chances to get the money.
