Geisinger Health, the central Pennsylvania system now owned by Risant Health, has resolved four notable lawsuits in recent years: a $5 million class action settlement over a 2023 data breach affecting more than 1.2 million patients, a Department of Justice antitrust case tied to its planned investment in Evangelical Community Hospital, a related $28.5 million no-poach class action brought by healthcare workers, and a $450,000 disability discrimination settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Each case ended without any admission of wrongdoing by Geisinger.
The $5 Million Data Breach Settlement
On November 29, 2023, Geisinger discovered that a former employee of Nuance Communications — its outside IT vendor and a Microsoft subsidiary — had accessed patient records two days after being fired.1Geisinger. Geisinger Provides Notice of Nuance’s Data Security Incident2Healthcare Dive. Geisinger Nuance Communications Data Breach The intrusion potentially exposed data belonging to more than 1.2 million Geisinger patients, including names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, medical record numbers, admit/discharge/transfer codes, race, gender, and facility name abbreviations. Geisinger said Social Security numbers, insurance and claims information, credit card numbers, and bank account details were not accessed, though court filings in the class action alleged a broader scope that included Social Security numbers and health insurance information.3Healthcare IT News. Geisinger Health and Nuance Settle Data Breach Lawsuit
Multiple class actions filed in mid-2024 were consolidated as In re Geisinger Health Data Security Incident Litigation, Case No. 4:24-CV-01071, before Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The consolidated complaint alleged negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of implied contract, breach of third-party beneficiary contract, and unjust enrichment.4ClassAction.org. In Re Geisinger Health Data Security Incident Litigation Settlement Agreement
The parties reached a $5 million non-reversionary settlement fund. The court granted preliminary approval on November 18, 2025, and Judge Brann signed final approval on March 16, 2026. Neither Geisinger nor Nuance admitted liability, and Geisinger said none of the settlement costs would be paid by the health system or its insurer.5Centre Daily Times. Geisinger Data Breach Settlement Final Approval6Becker’s Hospital Review. Judge Approves $5M Geisinger Microsoft Data Breach Settlement
Who Qualified and What They Could Claim
The class covered anyone whose personal information was compromised in the breach or who received a notification about it. Class members had to choose one of three benefits:
- One year of three-bureau credit and medical monitoring with identity theft protection, including $1 million in identity theft insurance.
- Reimbursement of up to $5,000 per person for documented, unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses tied to the breach between November 29, 2023, and March 18, 2026.
- A pro rata cash payment from what remained in the fund after administrative costs, legal fees, and reimbursement claims.
The deadline to file a claim was March 18, 2026, and Kroll Settlement Administration handled the claims. Attorneys sought up to roughly $1.67 million in fees plus $30,000 in costs, and each of the five class representatives was eligible for a $2,000 service award. Cash payments to claimants were expected to be modest given the size of the class, with distribution during 2026.7Geisinger Data Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions8Shub Johns & Holbrook LLP. Geisinger Settlement Final Approval
DOJ Antitrust Case Over the Evangelical Deal
On August 5, 2020, the Department of Justice sued Geisinger Health and Evangelical Community Hospital in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The DOJ alleged that a transaction giving Geisinger a 30% ownership stake in Evangelical, in exchange for $100 million in funding, would substantially reduce competition for inpatient hospital services in a six-county region of central Pennsylvania where the two systems together held roughly 70% of the market. According to the government, the arrangement gave Geisinger influence over Evangelical’s strategy along with rights of first offer and first refusal, weakening both hospitals’ incentive to compete on price and quality.9Department of Justice. Justice Department Resolves Antitrust Case Against Leading Central Pennsylvania Health Care Systems10Source on Healthcare. United States v. Geisinger Health and Evangelical Community Hospital
The case ended in a consent decree finalized on September 19, 2021. Geisinger’s stake in Evangelical was capped at a passive 7.5%. Geisinger was barred from increasing that ownership, from providing loans or lines of credit to Evangelical, and from participating in decisions about Evangelical’s management or leadership. Both systems had to implement antitrust compliance programs. Evangelical was allowed to continue receiving electronic health records and IT support from Geisinger.11Department of Justice. US v. Geisinger Health and Evangelical Community Hospital
The $28.5 Million No-Poach Class Action
The DOJ’s antitrust complaint also disclosed allegations that senior executives at the two systems had agreed not to recruit or hire each other’s employees. In one cited exchange, Evangelical’s CEO asked Geisinger’s CEO to stop recruiting Evangelical nurses on Facebook, calling it “very counter to what we are trying to accomplish.” The Geisinger executive allegedly forwarded the request to a vice president of talent acquisition with instructions to stop.12ClassAction.org. Geisinger Health Evangelical Community Hospitals Nurse Lawsuits
Those revelations prompted a private class action filed in February 2021, In re Geisinger System Services and Evangelical Community Hospital Healthcare Workers Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 4:21-cv-00196. The plaintiffs, representing roughly 12,000 healthcare workers, alleged that the no-poach arrangement suppressed wages and restricted job mobility in central Pennsylvania.13Fierce Healthcare. Geisinger, Evangelical Agree to $28.5M Payment Settling No-Poach Agreement Allegations
The hospitals agreed to pay a combined $28.5 million, with Geisinger contributing $19 million and Evangelical $9.5 million. The settlement class covers nurses, physicians, advanced practitioners, medical support staff, and other healthcare professionals who worked at the defendants’ facilities in Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour, Lycoming, or Columbia counties between January 1, 2014, and August 5, 2020. C-suite executives and board members are excluded.14Geisinger Antitrust Settlement Notice. In Re Geisinger System Services and Evangelical Community Hospital Healthcare Workers Antitrust Litigation Settlement Notice
Class members are guaranteed a minimum payment of $250, with an estimated average payout of about $1,500. The fund also covers up to $3.5 million in legal fees and $10,000 service awards for the original plaintiffs. A preliminary approval motion was filed on October 3, 2025, with a fairness hearing scheduled for March 16, 2026. The defendants denied the allegations and admitted no liability.13Fierce Healthcare. Geisinger, Evangelical Agree to $28.5M Payment Settling No-Poach Agreement Allegations14Geisinger Antitrust Settlement Notice. In Re Geisinger System Services and Evangelical Community Hospital Healthcare Workers Antitrust Litigation Settlement Notice
EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Geisinger Health, Geisinger Health System Foundation, and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in October 2021 for alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The case, EEOC v. Geisinger Health, et al., No. 2:21-cv-04294, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.15EEOC. EEOC Sues Geisinger Health and Affiliates for Disability Discrimination and Retaliation
The EEOC alleged that since at least January 2018, Geisinger limited the duration of job-protected medical leave, forced employees returning from leave to compete for their own positions or find a new role within two months or face termination, and manipulated job postings to prevent employees from securing positions. The lead charging party was Rosemary Casterline, a registered nurse who had worked at Geisinger Wyoming Valley for 30 years. After she disclosed a rotator cuff injury in October 2018 and took approved medical leave for shoulder replacement surgery, Geisinger required her to reapply for her own job. The posting was then removed, and she was fired on March 28, 2019, after failing to secure another position by the deadline.15EEOC. EEOC Sues Geisinger Health and Affiliates for Disability Discrimination and Retaliation
On February 17, 2026, the parties resolved the case through a two-year consent decree under which Geisinger agreed to pay $450,000. The decree also requires Geisinger to consider policy modifications and reassignment without competition as potential reasonable accommodations, provide mandatory ADA training for all employees and managers, and submit periodic reports to the EEOC on employees terminated after taking leave. Geisinger is barred from disability-based discrimination, retaliation, or interference with ADA rights during the decree’s term.16EEOC. Geisinger Health Entities Pay $450,000 in EEOC Disability and Retaliation Lawsuit17Fox 56. Geisinger Health to Pay $450,000 to Settle Federal Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
Geisinger’s Current Corporate Status
On March 31, 2024, Geisinger was acquired by Risant Health, a nonprofit created by Kaiser Foundation Hospitals in 2023. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department issued a final approving order on March 27, 2024. Geisinger continues to operate under its existing name and mission as part of Risant Health, with Terry Gilliland, M.D., as president and CEO. The cases above all name Geisinger entities as defendants, and the settlements and consent decrees bind those entities as they now sit within Risant.18Geisinger. Risant Health Completes Acquisition of Geisinger19Pennsylvania Insurance Department. Risant Kaiser Acquisition Request Geisinger