The Geisinger data breach settlement is a $5 million class action fund resolving claims that Geisinger Health and its IT vendor, Nuance Communications, failed to protect the records of roughly 1.3 million patients after a fired Nuance employee accessed their data in November 2023. A federal judge in Pennsylvania granted final approval on March 16, 2026. If you were notified that your information was exposed, you were eligible to claim one year of credit and medical monitoring, up to $5,000 in reimbursement for documented losses, or a small pro rata cash payment.1Becker’s Hospital Review. Judge Approves $5M Geisinger Microsoft Data Breach Settlement2Geisinger Data Settlement. FAQ
Who Is Covered
The settlement class covers approximately 1,308,363 Geisinger patients whose information was accessed by a former Nuance employee on November 29, 2023.3ClassAction.org. Geisinger Preliminary Approval Order The investigation identified 1,276,026 affected Geisinger patients in the initial notice.4HIPAA Journal. Geisinger Former Business Associate Employee 1M Records
Exposed information varied by patient and could include names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, medical record numbers, race, gender, facility name abbreviations, and admit/discharge/transfer codes. Court filings indicated the exposure may also have included Social Security numbers and health insurance information, though Nuance initially said the former employee did not have access to financial or claims data.5Geisinger. Geisinger Provides Notice of Nuance’s Data Security Incident6Healthcare IT News. Geisinger Health and Nuance Settle Data Breach Lawsuit Geisinger began mailing notices to affected patients in June 2024 after a law-enforcement-requested delay.
What You Could Claim
Class members had three options, and the reimbursement and cash payment options were mutually exclusive.7ClassAction.org. In Re Geisinger Health Data Security Incident Litigation Notice
- One year of free three-bureau credit monitoring, medical record monitoring, dark web monitoring, and identity theft protection services, plus $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance with no deductible.2Geisinger Data Settlement. FAQ
- Reimbursement of up to $5,000 per person for documented, unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses tied to the breach, such as fraud losses, credit report fees, and bank charges, incurred between November 29, 2023, and March 18, 2026.2Geisinger Data Settlement. FAQ
- A pro rata cash payment from whatever money remains in the fund after administrative costs, attorneys’ fees, and reimbursement claims are paid.7ClassAction.org. In Re Geisinger Health Data Security Incident Litigation Notice
Deadlines and When Payments Go Out
The claim submission deadline was March 18, 2026. The objection deadline was February 17, 2026.2Geisinger Data Settlement. FAQ Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann held the final approval hearing on March 16, 2026, and approved the settlement the same day.1Becker’s Hospital Review. Judge Approves $5M Geisinger Microsoft Data Breach Settlement
Payments had not been distributed as of the approval. Under the settlement terms, payouts can only be issued after final approval and after any appeals are resolved.8Geisinger Data Settlement. Home Kroll Settlement Administration LLC is handling claims. Class members with questions can call (833) 420-3818 or visit GeisingerDataSettlement.com.2Geisinger Data Settlement. FAQ
How the $5 Million Is Split
The fund is non-reversionary, meaning any unused money stays with the class rather than returning to the defendants.9Shub Johns & Holbrook. Geisinger Nuance Data Breach Settlement Preliminary Approval7ClassAction.org. In Re Geisinger Health Data Security Incident Litigation Notice10Centre Daily Times. Geisinger Data Breach Settlement
Whatever is left funds the reimbursement claims and the pro rata cash option. With more than 1.3 million people in the class and more than 97,000 claims submitted by early March 2026, per-person cash payments were expected to be small. Reporting described likely payouts as “modest,” and recipients were cautioned not to expect enough to cover a rent or mortgage payment.10Centre Daily Times. Geisinger Data Breach Settlement
Background on the Breach and the Lawsuit
Nuance Communications, a Microsoft subsidiary, provided IT services to Geisinger. On November 29, 2023, Geisinger discovered that a former Nuance employee had accessed patient records two days after being terminated. Nuance cut off the employee’s access and contacted law enforcement.5Geisinger. Geisinger Provides Notice of Nuance’s Data Security Incident
Patients filed multiple lawsuits that were consolidated as In re Geisinger Health Data Security Incident Litigation, No. 4:24-CV-01071-MWB, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The complaint alleged Geisinger and Nuance failed to maintain reasonable cybersecurity, adequately monitor their systems, segment their networks, or comply with FTC guidelines, HIPAA, and industry standards.4HIPAA Journal. Geisinger Former Business Associate Employee 1M Records Both companies denied the claims. The parties reached the $5 million agreement after a full-day mediation on June 30, 2025, before retired Judge Diane M. Welsh.9Shub Johns & Holbrook. Geisinger Nuance Data Breach Settlement Preliminary Approval Geisinger stated publicly that none of the settlement would be paid by Geisinger or its insurance.1Becker’s Hospital Review. Judge Approves $5M Geisinger Microsoft Data Breach Settlement