Doe v. Lehigh Valley Health Network

A $65 million Settlement (“Settlement Fund”) has been reached in a class action lawsuit brought in 2023 by Plaintiff Jane Doe (“Class Representative”) against Lehigh Valley Health Network, Inc. (“LVHN” or “Defendant”) in the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania (the “Court”).

The lawsuit alleges that Defendant failed to adequately protect patient data it received from patients and healthcare providers whose Personal Information was exposed during a data breach announced by Defendant on or about February 22, 2023. A Data Breach Notice was sent to each of the individuals who comprise the Settlement Class. A portion of certain Settlement Class Members’ Personal Information was published on the dark web by the perpetrator of the data breach, an entity known as BlackCat. Defendant denies doing any wrongdoing and further denies that the Settlement Class has a viable legal claim.

Each Settlement Class Member has been placed into one or more of four Relief Tiers as described in the Settlement Agreement.

Check Your Relief Tier Placement Here

An independent Special Master allocated the Settlement Fund among the four Relief Tiers. The amount of the Settlement Fund allocated to each Relief Tier will be paid on a pro rata basis to Settlement Class Members up to a specified amount in the particular Relief Tier. Each Settlement Class Member has received a unique identifier to allow the Settlement Class Member to confidentially view the Relief Tier(s) in which they are placed and their estimated gross settlement payout. A Settlement Class Member can also submit a Claim Form for Out-of-Pocket Losses. All payments to Settlement Class Members, other than those for Out-of-Pocket Losses based on a Claim Form, shall be sent automatically after the Effective Date.

The Settlement must be approved by the Court before any payment is issued from the Settlement Fund to any Settlement Class Member.

Your Legal Rights and Options in This Lawsuit

Submit a Claim Form for Out-of-Pocket Losses	The deadline to submit a Claim for Out-of-Pocket Expenses was October 21, 2024.
Exclude Yourself	The deadline to Opt-Out of the Settlement and Settlement Class was October 21, 2024.
Do Nothing	If the Court approves the Settlement and you are a Settlement Class Member, you will receive payment as set forth in the Settlement Agreement pursuant to your assigned Relief Tier(s) without the need to do anything further. The deadline to submit a Claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses was November 3, 2024. If you receive payment pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, you will release the Released Parties for the Released Claims.
Objection	The deadline to submit an objection was October 21, 2024.

These rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are explained further on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page.