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Judge gives final OK to $8M settlement in Orrick data breach

By Debra Cassens Weiss

November 12, 2024, 1:51 pm CST

A federal judge in California approved an $8 million settlement Friday in consolidated cases brought against Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe over a 2023 data breach that may have compromised the personal information of more than 638,000 people.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California said after a hearing Friday she would give final approval to the settlement but was holding off on a $2 million request for attorney fees to be paid out of the settlement money.

Law360, Bloomberg Law and Law.com have coverage.

Orrick initially reported that the data breach affected nearly 153,000 people but later said the number of people affected was higher. More than 638,000 people received notices that personally identifiable information may have been obtained, according to an Oct. 4 motion for final settlement approval.

The hack exposed names, home addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers, plaintiffs said.

The settlement allows class members to receive an “alternative cash payment” of $75 without supplying documentation, according to the Oct. 4 motion.

Those who submit documentation can seek up to $2,500 for out-of-pocket expenses, up to $7,500 for extraordinary losses, up to $125 for time spent (amounting to $25 per hour), and, for Californians, an extra $150 for privacy act claims, the motion says.

Orrick agreed to the settlement but denied liability and did not concede the factual basis for claims.

Illston’s approval of the Orrick settlement follows an agreement by Florida midsize law firm Gunster to pay $8.5 million to plaintiffs suing over a 2022 data breach, according to Law.com.