Frequently Asked Questions

A Court authorized this notice to inform you how you may be affected by this proposed settlement. This notice describes the lawsuit, the general terms of the proposed settlement and what it may mean to you. This notice also explains how to participate in, or exclude yourself from, the settlement if your information was accessed in the HealthEC LLC Data Breach.

For information on how to determine if you are a Settlement Class Member, and therefore eligible for benefits under this settlement, see Question 5.

HealthEC is a population health technology company that provides certain healthcare data analytics services to healthcare entities. In the course of providing these professional services, HealthEC received or collected certain patient information from the other named Defendants. In or around December 2023, HealthEC announced it had suffered a data breach, where a threat actor copied various files including for approximately 1.52 million individuals that were patients of the other Defendants (the “Incident”).

Various lawsuits were filed related to the Incident, which were consolidated and are now known as In re: HealthEC LLC Data Breach Litigation, 24-cv-00026-JKS-SDA. The consumers who filed this litigation are called the “Plaintiffs.” Plaintiffs claim that Defendants did not adequately protect consumers’ personal information. The most recent version of the complaint in this Litigation, which describes the Plaintiffs’ claims in detail, is available at www.HealthECSettlement.com. Defendants each deny the claims and contentions alleged in the Litigation. The Court did not decide which side was right.  But both sides considered the uncertain outcome and risk of further litigation and agreed to the settlement.  Settlements avoid the costs and uncertainty of a trial and related appeals, while more quickly providing benefits to Settlement Class Members.

In a class action, one or more people called “class representatives” sue on behalf of themselves and other people with similar claims. All of these people together are the “class” or “class members.” Because this is a class action settlement, even persons who did not file their own lawsuit can obtain benefits provided under the settlement, except for those individuals who exclude themselves from the settlement class by the deadline.

The Court has not decided in favor of Plaintiffs or Defendants. Instead, both sides agreed to a settlement after a lengthy mediation process overseen by a neutral mediator. Settlements avoid the costs and uncertainty of a trial and related appeals, while more quickly providing benefits to members of the Settlement Class. The class representatives appointed to represent the Class and the attorneys for the Settlement Class (“Plaintiffs’ Counsel,” see Question 15) believe that the settlement is in the best interests of the Settlement Class Members.

You are a Settlement Class Member if you are among the approximately 1.52 million individuals that were patients of Community Health, Corewell, MD Valuecare, and Beaumont whose personal information and/or protected health information was compromised in the Data Breach announced by HealthEC in December 2023. All identified Class Members were emailed or mailed notice of the proposed settlement, so if you received a notice, you are a likely member of the Settlement Class.

You can also confirm you are a Settlement Class Member, and eligible for benefits, by:

• Visiting the secure web page www.HealthECSettlement.com; or
• Calling 1-833-699-9199.

Excluded from the settlement are:

• Officers and directors of Defendants;
• The presiding judge and any judicial staff involved in the lawsuit;
• Any person found guilty under criminal law of causing the Incident or who pleads nolo contendere to any such charge; and
• Any Class Member who opts out (see Question 18).

The Defendants collectively will make a non-reversionary payment of $5,482,500 into an escrow account to establish the Common Fund. The Common Fund will be used to:

• Provide Notice and Settlement Administration Costs;
• Provide Service Awards approved by the Court (see Question 17);
• Pay Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses approved by the Court;
• Provide Settlement Benefits for the Settlement Class Members as provided for in the Settlement Benefits Plan, (see Questions 7-9); and
• Pay any expenses, taxes and tax-related expenses related to maintenance of the Escrow Account.

A description of these commitments is available in the Settlement Agreement, which is available here.

Settlement Benefit: Payment for Unreimbursed Out-of-Pocket Losses: If you spent money to deal with fraud or identity theft that you believe was fairly traceable to the Data Breach, or to protect yourself from future harm as a result of the Data Breach, then you can submit a claim for reimbursement (including your claim for Lost Time). Out-of-Pocket Losses that are eligible for reimbursement may include, without limitation, the following:

• Unreimbursed costs, expenses, losses or charges incurred as a result of identity theft or identity fraud, falsified tax returns, or other alleged misuse of a Settlement Class Member’s personal information;
• Costs incurred associated with placing or removing a credit freeze on a Settlement Class Member’s credit file with any credit reporting agency;
• Other miscellaneous expenses related to any Out-of-Pocket Loss such as notary, fax, postage, copying, mileage, and long-distance telephone charges; and
• Costs of credit reports, credit monitoring, or other products related to detection or remediation of identity theft.

This list provides examples only, and other losses or costs that you believe are fairly traceable to the Data Breach may also be eligible for reimbursement.

To claim reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Losses, Settlement Class Members with Out-of-Pocket Losses must submit Reasonable Documentation supporting their claims. “Reasonable Documentation” means documentation supporting your claim, including, but not limited, to credit card statements, bank statements, invoices, telephone records, and receipts. Except as expressly provided in this notice, personal certifications, declarations, or affidavits from the claimant do not constitute Reasonable Documentation but may be included to provide clarification, context or support for other submitted Reasonable Documentation.

The Settlement Administrator will decide if your claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses is valid and fairly traceable to the Incident. In assessing what qualifies as “fairly traceable,” the Settlement Administrator must consider: (1) the timing of the loss, including whether the loss occurred on or after July 14, 2023, through the date of the Settlement Class Member’s claim submission; (2) whether the loss involved the possible misuse of the type of personal information accessed in the Incident; (3) whether the personal information accessed in the Incident that is related to the Settlement Class Member is of the type that was possibly misused; (4) the Class Member’s explanation as to how the loss is fairly traceable to the Incident; (5) the nature of the loss, including whether the loss was reasonably incurred as a result of the Incident; and (6) any other factor that the Settlement Administrator considers to be relevant. The Settlement Administrator shall have the sole discretion and authority to determine whether claimed Out-of-Pocket Losses are valid and fairly traceable to the Incident. Only valid claims will be paid.

The deadline to file a claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses is November 18, 2025.

Settlement Benefit: Cash Payment for Lost Time: If you spent time (i) remedying fraud, identity theft, or other alleged misuse of your personal information that you believe is fairly traceable to the Data Breach, or (ii) taking preventative measures (time placing or removing security freezes on your credit report, or purchasing credit monitoring or identity protection) on or after July 14, 2023, then you may make a claim for reimbursement for Lost Time at a Reimbursement Rate of $25 per hour, for up to 10 hours.

For Lost Time not related to qualifying Out-of-Pocket Losses (“Self-Certified Time”), Settlement Class Members may receive reimbursement for up to 4 hours at the Reimbursement Rate. To make a claim for Lost Time, you must provide a description of (i) the actions taken in response to the Data Breach in dealing with misuse of your information or taking preventative measures and (ii) the time associated with those actions. You must certify that the description is truthful. Valid claims for Lost Time will be reimbursed in 15-minute increments.

The deadline to file a claim for Lost Time is November 18, 2025.

Settlement Benefit: Alternative Cash Payments: As an alternative to making a claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses and Lost Time, Settlement Class Members (except California Settlement Subclass Members) may request an Alternative Cash Payment of $25. As an alternative to making a claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses and Lost Time, California Settlement Subclass Members may request an Alternative Cash Payment of $50. 

Settlement Class Members making a claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses and/or Lost Time will be entitled to the greater of the approved claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses and Lost Time, or the amount available under this Alternative Cash Payments provision.

The deadline to file a claim for Alternative Cash Payments is November 18, 2025.

Settlement Benefit: Medical Shield Complete: Medical Shield Complete provides a way to help protect yourself from unauthorized use of your personal information. Settlement Class Members may submit a claim to enroll in at least three (3) years of Medical Shield Complete, provided through Medical Shield, at no cost. These services include the following features:

• Monitoring medical and healthcare data.
• Monitors credit files at Experian.
• Dark web monitoring for your personal information.
• Security freeze capability.
• $1 million identity theft insurance policy with no deductible.

Settlement Benefit: Free Restoration Services: All Settlement Class Members, even those who do not submit a claim, will be entitled to utilize Medical Shield Complete. This coverage is a separate benefit and provides all Settlement Class Members access to U.S.-based fraud resolution specialists who can assist with important tasks such as placing fraud alerts with the credit bureaus, disputing inaccurate information on credit reports, scheduling calls with creditors and other service providers, and working with law enforcement and government agencies to dispute fraudulent information. All Settlement Class Members may access these free Medical Shield Complete Services after the settlement becomes final, even if you never make a claim from this settlement, by going to www.HealthECSettlement.com, or calling toll-free 1-833-699-9199.

The Settlement Fund will be used to pay claims for Out-of-Pocket Losses and Lost Time, for Medical Shield Complete Services, for administrative and notice costs, for service awards for settlement class representatives, and for attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses as approved by the Court.

• If settlement funds still remain, payments will be increased on a pro rata basis (including Alternative Cash Payments) to Settlement Class Members submitting valid claims.

Any remaining settlement funds resulting from the failure of Settlement Class Members to timely negotiate a settlement check or to timely provide required tax information such that a settlement check should issue, shall be distributed to Settlement Class Members, or as otherwise ordered by the Court, but no money will be returned to HealthEC LLC.

If the total number of valid claims exceeds the Common Fund, all valid claims (including Alternative Cash Payments) will be reduced on a pro rata basis.

To file a claim for Medical Shield Complete, reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Losses, Lost Time or an Alternative Cash Payment, you will need to file a Claim Form. The easiest way to submit a Claim Form is online, HERE. You can also download a paper Claim Form and return a completed Claim Form by mail.

The deadline to file a claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses or Lost Time fairly traceable to the Data Breach is November 18, 2025 (this is the last day to file online and the postmark deadline for mailed claims). To maximize protection offered by Medical Shield Complete, you should make a claim for Medical Shield Complete by November 18, 2025. You may later enroll in Medical Shield Complete at any time the service is active (at least 3 years), however all memberships in the free Medical Shield Complete will end on the same date regardless of when you enroll.

Medical Shield Complete claimed by Settlement Class Members will begin, and payments for valid claims for Out-of-Pocket Losses, Lost Time and/or Alternative Cash Payments will be made, after the Court enters a final judgment and the settlement becomes final. This may take several months or more; please be patient.

If you make a valid claim for Medical Shield Complete, the Settlement Administrator will send you information on how to activate your Medical Shield Complete once the settlement is final.

Payments for valid claims for Out-of-Pocket Losses, Lost Time and/or Alternative Cash Payments will be made by the Settlement Administrator in the manner you select (various digital payment options or a paper check).

If you make a claim under the settlement, or if you do nothing, you will be releasing all of your legal claims relating to the Data Breach against Defendants when the settlement becomes final. By releasing your legal claims, you are giving up the right to file, or to continue to pursue, separate legal claims against or seek further compensation from Defendants for any harm related to the Data Breach or the claims alleged in the lawsuits—whether or not you are currently aware of those claims.

Unless you exclude yourself from the settlement (see Question 18), all of the decisions by the Court will bind you. That means you will be bound to the terms of the settlement and accompanying court orders, and cannot bring a lawsuit or be part of another lawsuit against Defendants regarding the Data Breach.

Paragraph 1.27 of the Settlement Agreement defines the claims that will be released by Settlement Class Members who do not exclude themselves from the settlement. You can access the Settlement Agreement and read the specific details of the legal claims being released at www.HealthECSettlement.com.

If you have any questions, you can contact the Settlement Administrator (see Question 20).

Yes. The Court appointed the following attorneys to represent you and other Settlement Class Members as “Plaintiffs’ Counsel.”

You will not be charged by these lawyers for their work on the case. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

If you have questions about making a claim, please contact the Settlement Administrator (see Question 20).

Plaintiffs’ Counsel have undertaken this case on a contingency-fee basis, meaning they have paid for all of the expenses in the case and have not been paid any money in relation to their work on this case. Accordingly, Plaintiffs’ Counsel will ask the Court to award them attorneys’ fees of up to 34% of the Settlement Fund and reimbursement for costs and expenses to be paid from the Settlement Fund. The Court will decide the amount of fees and costs and expenses to be paid. You will not have to separately pay any portion of these fees yourself. Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees and costs (which must be approved by the Court) will be filed by December 8, 2025 and will be available to view on the Case Documents page.

The class representatives in this action are listed in the Settlement Agreement, which is available at www.HealthECSettlement.com. Plaintiffs’ Counsel will ask the Court to award the class representatives “service awards” of up to $2,500 each for the time that they spent, and the risks that they undertook, in bringing this lawsuit on behalf of the Class. This amount will have to be approved by the Court. Any amount approved by the Court will be paid from the Settlement Fund. If the Court awards less than Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s request in service awards or attorneys’ fees and expenses, the difference will remain in the Common Fund to be used for the benefit of the Settlement Class Members.

Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees and costs (which must be approved by the Court) will be filed no later than 35 days before the Final Approval Hearing and will be available to view on the settlement website at www.HealthECSettlement.com.

If you are a member of the Settlement Class but do not want to remain in the Class, you may exclude yourself from the Class (also known as “opting out”). If you exclude yourself, you will lose any right to participate in the settlement, including any right to receive the benefits outlined in this notice.

If you decide on this option, you may keep any rights you have, if any, against Defendants and you may file your own lawsuit against Defendants based upon the same legal claims that are asserted in this lawsuit, but you will need to find your own attorney at your own cost to represent you in that lawsuit. If you are considering this option, you may want to consult an attorney to determine your options.

IMPORTANT: You will be bound by the terms of the Settlement Agreement unless you submit a timely and signed written request to be excluded from the settlement. To exclude yourself from the settlement you must mail a “request for exclusion,” postmarked no later than November 18, 2025 to:

HealthEC Data Breach Litigation Settlement Administrator

Attn: Exclusion

P.O. Box 301134

Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134

This statement must contain the following information:

(1)           The name of this action (In re HealthEC LLC Data Breach Litigation, Case No. 2:24-cv-00026 (JKS) (SDA));

(2)           Your full name, current address and telephone number;

(3)           Your personal signature (lawyer’s signature is not sufficient);

(4)           A statement clearly indicating your intent to be excluded from the settlement; and

(5)           A statement that your request for exclusion applies only to you, the one Settlement Class Member whose personal signature appears on the request. (Requests seeking exclusion on behalf of more than one Settlement Class Member shall be deemed invalid by the Settlement Administrator.)

If you do not comply with these procedures and the deadline for exclusions, you will lose any opportunity to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, and your rights will be determined in this lawsuit by the Settlement Agreement if it is approved by the Court.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you have the right to tell the Court what you think of the settlement. You can object to the settlement if you don’t think it is fair, reasonable, or adequate, and you can give reasons why you think the Court should not approve it. You can’t ask the Court to order a larger settlement; the Court can only approve or deny the settlement as it is.

To object, you must send a written objection identifying you as a Settlement Class Member stating that you object to the settlement. Your objection must include:

(1)           The case name and number of this action (In re HealthEC LLC Data Breach Litigation, Case No. 2:24-cv-00026 (JKS) (SDA));

(2)           Your full name, current address, telephone number and email address, and if you are represented by counsel, those of your counsel;

(3)           Information or proof showing that you are a member of the Settlement Class;

(4)           A statement of the specific grounds for the objection;

(5)           A list of all class action cases in which the objector or their counsel has objected;

(6)           A statement of whether you intend to appear at the Final Approval Hearing, and if so, whether personally or through counsel; and,

(7)           Your signature.

Additionally, if you are represented by a lawyer and your lawyer intends to speak at the Final Approval Hearing, your written objection must include:

(8)           A detailed description of any evidence you may offer at the Final Approval Hearing; and

(9)           Copies of any exhibits you may introduce at the Final Approval Hearing.

To be considered by the Court, your written objection must be filed electronically with the Court by
December 22, 2025, or mailed, postmarked no later than December 22, 2025 to the following address:

Clerk of the Court

United States District Court District of New Jersey (Newark)

Martin Luther King Building & U.S. Courthouse

50 Walnut Street

Newark, NJ 07102

If you do not comply with these procedures and the deadline for objections, you may lose any opportunity to have your objection considered at the Final Approval Hearing or otherwise to contest the approval of the settlement or to appeal from any orders or judgments entered by the Court in connection with the proposed settlement. You will still be eligible to receive Settlement Benefits if the settlement becomes final even if you object to the settlement.

The Court has scheduled a Final Approval Hearing to listen to and consider any concerns or objections from Settlement Class Members regarding the fairness, adequacy, and reasonableness of the terms of the Settlement Agreement. That hearing is currently scheduled to take place on January 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., before the Honorable Stacey D. Adams, Magistrate Judge, at the United States District Court District of New Jersey (Newark) located in Room placeholder of the United States Courthouse, Martin Luther King Building & U.S. Courthouse, 50 Walnut Street, Newark, NJ 07102. This hearing date and time may be moved. Please refer to the settlement website, www.HealthECSettlement.com for notice of any changes.

If you have questions about this notice or the settlement, you may contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-833-699-9199, or by mailing a letter to HealthEC Data Breach Litigation Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 30114, Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134 for more information. If you wish to communicate directly with Plaintiffs’ Counsel, you may contact them (contact information noted above in Question 15). You may also seek advice and guidance from your own private lawyer at your own expense, if you wish to do so.

The notice is only a summary of the lawsuit and the settlement. Other related documents can be accessed HERE. The Court cannot respond to any questions regarding this notice, the lawsuit, or the proposed settlement.

Please do not contact the Court, its Clerk, or HealthEC LLC or any other Defendants.