Mercer University Data Breach Settlement Aims to Resolve Lawsuit Over February 2023 Cyberattack

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A data breach settlement has been reached that, if approved by the court, will resolve a consolidated class action lawsuit that alleged Mercer University failed to protect the personal information of more than 93,000 people during a February 2023 cyberattack.

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The official Mercer University settlement website can be found at MercerDataSettlement.com.

The proposed class action settlement with the private research university covers anyone who was notified that their information may have been impacted in the Mercer data breach, which reportedly occurred between February 12 and February 24, 2023.

According to the class action lawsuit against Mercer, the cyberattack potentially compromised the names, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers of current and former students and employees.

The plaintiffs notified the court of the agreement with Mercer, and filed an unopposed motion detailing the terms of the deal, on November 14, 2024. The parties now await preliminary approval of the settlement terms by the court.

Related Reading: Class Action Claims Mercer University Failed to Prevent Data Breach Affecting Over 93K Individuals

If the deal receives initial approval, all class members who submit a timely, valid claim form may be entitled to receive two years of three-bureau credit monitoring and identity theft protection services at no cost, the settlement agreement says.

Per the document, eligible class members may also file a claim for up to $450 per person for “ordinary” out-of-pocket losses incurred on or after May 24, 2023 that are supported by documentation and “fairly traceable” to the Mercer data breach.

Additionally, class members may make a claim for up to five hours of lost time spent addressing issues stemming from the incident, at a rate of $20 per hour, and subject to the aforementioned $450 cap, the agreement shares.

Furthermore, consumers can submit a claim form for reimbursement of documented “extraordinary” losses that are “more likely than not” linked to the data breach, for up to $5,500 per person, the settlement agreement relays.

Lastly, as part of the settlement, the university has agreed to take steps to enhance its cybersecurity for the next two years, measures which are valued at approximately $800,000, the document adds.

Notice of the Mercer class action settlement will be sent out by mail within 30 days following preliminary approval of the deal, the agreement states. Class members will have 90 days, beginning on the date of mailing, to file a claim form, which can be submitted by mail or online through the official settlement website.

Head to ClassAction.org’s settlements page for a complete list of data breach settlements.