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Over a doctor’s shoulder we see a spreadsheet of medical data on a vulnerable hospital computer.

Lehigh Valley Health Network Data Breach Settlement

Written by The Lyon Firm on . Posted in Data Breach, Litigation Update.

Update: Following a large data breach, the Lehigh Valley Health Network settlement compensates 134,000 individuals who may have had their personal data and nude photos leaked to the Dark Web. Contact our lawyers to learn more about the possibility of filing separate individual claims.

The Lyon Firm is actively involved in class action personal privacy and data theft cases and is currently reviewing Lehigh Valley Health data breach settlement claims for plaintiffs in Pennsylvania and nationwide.

What Happened at Lehigh Valley Health?

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in Pennsylvania announced a ransomware attack first detected on February 6, 2023. An announcement was made confirming the attack by a ransomware gang demanding a ransom payment.

LVHN, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania confirmed it was a victim of a Blackcat ransomware attack. The cyberattack impacted a network linked to a Lackawanna County physician practice, which included a system used to store patient images for radiation oncology treatment. LVHN is a nonprofit that operates 13 hospitals, 28 health centers and other clinics in Pennsylvania and recently merged with Jefferson Health.

The ransomware attack compromised the personal information of patients, including the following:

  • Medical and treatment information
  • Health insurance information
  • Social security numbers
  • Driver’s license numbers
  • Banking information.
  • Clinical images of patients during treatment

The Blackcat ransomware group eventually claimed the attack and demanded a ransom payment to prevent the publication of the leaked sensitive data on its data leak site. When Lehigh Valley refused to pay. they then began to release nude images of breast cancer patients. Hundreds of individuals were photographed naked from the waist up, a move meant to increase the pressure on LVHN to pay the ransom demand. LVHN still refused to pay the ransom and Blackcat released all stolen data.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated data breach lawyer and Privacy Attorney representing plaintiffs in Pennsylvania and nationwide in class action security breach lawsuits. Contact our legal team to learn more about the settlement terms and discuss whether you can file a separate claims for any leaked data, including nude photographs.

Am I Part of the Lehigh Valley Health Data Breach Settlement?

Lehigh Valley Health Network has now agreed to an alleged $65 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by a plaintiffs representing 134,000 patients.

The Lehigh Valley data breach lawsuit was initially filed in Lackawanna County, moved to federal court, and then returned to the Pennsylvania county court. A final approval hearing for the proposed settlement is scheduled for November 15.

The proposed settlement will compensate all class members, though the range is from $50 to $70,000. Impacted individuals whose nude images were posted by hackers will receive the maximum amount. A total of $52 million will be allocated to individuals.

The $65 million settlement will be distributed among patients based on the material and non-material damages, with each member of a group receiving compensation up to a specified limit. Claims can also be submitted to attorneys for the reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket expenses of up to $5,000. According to the settlement website, there are four tiers of relief, including the following:

  • $7,150,000 will be paid to all affected individuals, with an estimated payment of $50.
  • $1,300,000  will be be paid to those with their stolen information posted online
  • $4,550,000 will be paid to those with non-nude photographs published on the dark web,
  • $52,000,000 will be paid to those whose nude photographs were published on the dark web, with an expected award of between $70,000 and $80,000 per individual.

Reports say this is one of the largest data breach settlements on a per capita basis and all 134,000 people will get compensated without even filing a special claim. However, to discuss potential opt-outs and filing a separate claim, victims can call our data breach privacy attorneys to discuss.

Lehigh Valley Health Network has created a website to provide more details about the settlement to victims. The health system, however, still denies any wrongdoing and asserts that the settlement class does not have a valid legal claim.

Call Joe Lyon and The Lyon Firm to consider taking additional action if your nude photographs and other private data was leaked in this particular incident. Our attorneys believe very strongly that any healthcare entity that collects and stores nude photos and other data has a duty to protect it from any cyberattacks and IT security threats.

If any group is negligent and fails to protect your personal information, and your private photos are published online, you may have an additional data theft claim. Contact us to learn more to learn about the Lehigh Valley Health Network settlement and to discuss your legal options.