Tampa General Hospital will pay $6.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit arising from a May 2023 data breach that compromised the personal information of about 2.1 million people.
According to the settlement, people who received written notification from Tampa General about the cyberattack may choose to submit claims to recover losses or receive a lump sum of $125.
The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 12 (Sunday). An online portal is available. Users will need the ID and PIN found on the notification sent in the mail.
Plaintiffs with documented “ordinary” losses can receive up to $1,500. Those with documented “extraordinary” losses can seek up to $7,500. Additionally, those who spent time dealing with the cyberattack can apply for reimbursement of $25 per hour up to four hours.
For those without losses, the “flat payment” of $125 is available.
Claimants can also receive free credit monitoring for one year.
The breach, which was discovered by the hospital on May 31, 2023, involved Social Security numbers, health insurance information, medical records and treatment data.
Afterward, several class action lawsuits were filed and later consolidated into DiPierro, et al. v. Florida Health Sciences Center Inc. d/b/a Tampa General Hospital. The case was remanded by a federal court to the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsborough County.
Plaintiffs allege Tampa General was negligent by failing to implement reasonable and appropriate cybersecurity safety measures. Tampa General denies any wrongdoing.
Plaintiffs and Tampa General settled to avoid the risk, cost and time of further litigation, according to the settlement.
“Plaintiffs have received assurances that the hospital is continuously updating and hardening systems to help prevent events such as this from occurring and has implemented additional defensive tools and increased monitoring,” the settlement said.
The settlement amount will also cover plaintiffs’ legal costs at an amount determined by Judge Melissa M. Polo, who is overseeing the action.
A final hearing to approve the settlement is scheduled for Feb. 3.
