By taking action before June 23, 2025, you could receive your share of a $5,300 data breach settlement fee if your personal information was exposed during the Retina Group of Washington’s (RGW) March 2023 data breach. Due to RGW’s inability to prevent such a serious cyberattack from occurring, the company has agreed to a $3,6 million settlement fee so as to resolve claims from all the patients involved in the breach. You need to consider the eligibility criteria to see if you are deemed eligible to file a claim.
RGW’s data breach that affected 450,000 people
The Retina Group of Washington, one of the medical providers with locations in Virginia and Maryland, experienced a data breach that compromised and affected the personal information of over 456,000 of its patients. Some of the information that unauthorized persons gained access to included driver’s license numbers, health insurance information, as well as Social Security numbers.
In response to the data breach that took place on March 26, 2023, RGW’s patients filed a class action lawsuit with allegations that adequate data security measures were not taken so as to protect sensitive information. Thus far, RGW has not admitted to any wrongdoing; however, it has agreed to a $3,6 million data breach settlement so as to avoid further litigation and compensate affected individuals.
Understanding the qualification criteria for this settlement
It is most important that all of RGW’s patients consider whether they meet the eligibility criteria to file a claim or not. To understand if you are eligible to claim, you should have:
- Received a notification letter about the data breach from RGW.
- Your personal information that was stored on the system was accessed during the breach.
Three main types of compensation are on offer as per this data breach settlement, and they include:
- Extraordinary loss payment: Up to $5,000 for all documented losses that show that fraud or identity theft has taken place. Documentation can include credit card records or financial statements.
- Ordinary expenses: This payment of $300 covers all out-of-pocket expenses incurred, such as long-distance phone charges and banking fees that will make up for time lost during the breach.
- Alternate cash payments: A flat payment of $100 is on offer for all patients who were affected by the breach but did not incur any financial losses during the period. This $100 payment amount may vary depending on the number of claims submitted before the claim filing deadline.
Alongside financial compensation, all class action members will be deemed eligible for free credit monitoring for two years and identity theft protection that includes identity restoration services, daily three-bureau credit monitoring, and $1 million identity theft insurance.
Submitting a claim before the June 23 deadline
All eligible class action members who received notifications of the data breach from RGW should submit a valid claim form by June 23, 2025, by either:
- Visiting the official Retina Group website and filing a claim using a unique Claim ID and PIN.
- Mailing the settlement administrator once the claim form has been downloaded and printed.
Especially when claiming for extraordinary loss payment, a proof of expense for reimbursement claims, including bank statements, records of fraud reports, and other receipts, may be needed.
With a final court approval hearing scheduled to take place on June 9, 2025, payments should follow thereafter if there are no further appeals. Another data breach settlement that you still have time to file for if you are deemed eligible is the January 2023 data breach involving Imagine360, LLC.
Considering the number of data breach settlements lately
This RGW data breach is yet another one to add to the list of companies that have had to pay a settlement fee for data breaches. The Ingo Money $1.5 million data breach settlement was yet another data breach settlement that was well-known to most. Although the effects of data breaches have long-lasting consequences, all patients of the Retina Group of Washington have a chance to file a claim and receive compensation from the company.
To avoid leaving money on the table, a claim should be filed before the July 23, 2025, deadline. All of RGW’s patients have a chance to get compensated for the stress caused by the breach. For more information about this settlement, you can visit Top Class Actions and get informed about how to file a claim.
