United Health Centers of San Joaquin Valley Data Breach Class Action Settlement

United Health Centers of San Joaquin Valley has agreed to a class action settlement to resolve allegations that it failed to protect consumer data during a 2021 data breach.

The settlement benefits individuals whose personal information, including health information, was compromised by unauthorized users during the San Joaquin Valley United Health Centers data breach on August 28, 2021.

The organization is a non-profit organization that aims to improve access to health care for residents of California’s San Joaquin Valley. In August 2021, an unauthorized user allegedly gained access to the nonprofit’s systems, exposing the personal information of thousands of patients.

Information compromised in the data breach would include names, addresses, phone numbers, private health data, insurance information, and sensitive identifiers such as social security numbers and driver’s license numbers. .

A class action lawsuit has been filed against United Health Centers of San Joaquin Valley, claiming the company should have implemented reasonable cybersecurity measures to protect its customers from a data breach. The plaintiffs argue that with the increase in healthcare-related data breaches, the nonprofit should even have expected a data breach and taken steps to prevent it.

“For healthcare providers, data breaches pose a particularly serious and foreseeable risk of harm,” the data breach class action claims.

The nonprofit has admitted no wrongdoing, but has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to resolve the allegations.

Under the terms of the settlement, class members may receive reimbursement for losses related to the data breach.

The settlement provides up to $500 for non-economic losses and up to $2,500 for economic losses. To be covered by the settlement, the losses must be related to the data breach and be documented.

In addition to providing a refund, the settlement provides credit services for three years. The credit services included in the settlement are credit monitoring, fraud alerts and identity restoration services. Class Members may register for these benefits using the registration code included in their mailed notice.

If there are any funds left in the settlement after disbursements, they will be returned to Central Cal Legal Services. No settlement funds will accrue to the defendants.

The exclusion and objection deadline is November 19, 2022.

The final settlement approval hearing is scheduled for February 8, 2023.

In order to receive settlement benefits, class members must submit one or more valid claim forms by November 19, 2022. Class members must submit separate claim forms for reimbursement and non-economic loss.