HealthPartners agreed to pay $6 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging its websites used tracking pixels that shared visitors’ personal and health-related information with Meta, Google, and other third parties without consent. A federal judge in Minnesota granted final approval on July 9, 2025, in the consolidated case In re Group Health Plan Litigation.1Almeida Law Group. Final Approval Granted in Group Health Plan Litigation Data Privacy Settlement HealthPartners denied wrongdoing.2GHP Pixel Settlement. In re Group Health Plan Litigation Short Form Notice
Who Qualifies as a Class Member
You are in the class if you logged into healthpartners.com or virtuwell.com between January 1, 2018, and November 10, 2023. The settlement identified roughly 692,527 class members, and notice went out to 977,713 people.3GHP Pixel Settlement. Settlement Agreement4GHP Pixel Settlement. Memorandum re Final Approval
The claim filing deadline was April 7, 2025. Late claims are not accepted.5GHP Pixel Settlement. GHP Pixel Settlement Home
What the Lawsuit Claimed
The complaint focused on the Facebook Tracking Pixel and Meta’s Conversions API running on healthpartners.com and on virtuwell.com, the organization’s telehealth platform. The pixel is browser-side code that tracks clicks, page views, and form entries; the Conversions API sends user activity from the server directly to Facebook. According to the plaintiffs, that combination meant patient activity, including symptom research, appointment booking, and access to medical records, could be routed to Facebook for advertising purposes.6Milberg. HealthPartners Meta
The consolidated complaint alleged violations of HIPAA standards, HealthPartners’ own privacy policies, and patients’ reasonable expectation of privacy, and it brought claims for invasion of privacy, unjust enrichment, breach of implied contract, and violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Stored Communications Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.6Milberg. HealthPartners Meta7Milberg. Vreizen v Group Health Plan Inc Class Action Complaint
How the $6 Million Is Divided
The $6 million fund is non-reversionary, meaning nothing goes back to HealthPartners. Several deductions come out before class members are paid:
- Attorneys’ fees of up to one-third of the fund (approximately $2 million), plus up to $50,000 in expenses.8GHP Pixel Settlement. FAQs
- Service awards of $2,500 each to the three class representatives, Kelly Vriezen, Sandra Tapp, and Kaye Lockrem.9GHP Pixel Settlement. Memorandum re Attorneys Fees
- Notice and administration costs paid to Atticus Administration LLC.5GHP Pixel Settlement. GHP Pixel Settlement Home
Whatever remains, the net settlement fund, is divided pro rata among class members who filed valid claims. The per-person payment was not set in advance; it depends on how many valid claims came in.8GHP Pixel Settlement. FAQs
Where the Settlement Stands Now
Judge Jerry W. Blackwell held the final approval hearing on June 26, 2025, and issued final approval on July 9, 2025, finding the settlement fair, reasonable, and adequate.1Almeida Law Group. Final Approval Granted in Group Health Plan Litigation Data Privacy Settlement The docket shows a termination date the same day.10CourtListener. In re Group Health Plan Litigation Docket
Payments have not yet been distributed. As of mid-2026, the settlement website indicates final approval was granted but the formal order was still pending receipt by the settlement administrator.5GHP Pixel Settlement. GHP Pixel Settlement Home
Claimants who submitted timely forms could elect payment by PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, virtual prepaid card, or paper check.2GHP Pixel Settlement. In re Group Health Plan Litigation Short Form Notice If you chose a check, cash it promptly once it arrives. Under the settlement agreement, any check not cashed within 180 days of issuance is voided, and the money goes to a court-approved charity rather than back to claimants.3GHP Pixel Settlement. Settlement Agreement
Objections and Opt-Outs
The settlement drew little pushback. Of nearly 978,000 people who received notice, 67 opted out and one person objected. The objector argued the amount was too low, offered no supporting evidence, and filed a claim for benefits the day after objecting. Plaintiffs asked the court to overrule the objection.4GHP Pixel Settlement. Memorandum re Final Approval
How This Fits the Broader Pixel Litigation
HealthPartners is one of many health systems sued over the same practice. Plaintiffs’ experts in the consolidated In re Meta Pixel Healthcare Litigation in the Northern District of California identified at least 664 hospital or provider web properties that allegedly sent patient data to Meta via the pixel, and a 2024 study found 33% of healthcare organizations still used the Meta Pixel on their sites.11Cohen Milstein. In re Meta Pixel Healthcare Litigation12HIPAA Journal. One Third Healthcare Websites Meta Pixel Tracking Code
Comparable settlements give a sense of the range. Advocate Aurora Health settled for $12.225 million covering roughly 2.5 million people, with individual payouts capped at under five dollars.13HLLI. In re Advocate Aurora Health Pixel Litigation14HIPAA Journal. Healthcare Organizations Settle Website Tracking Class Action Lawsuits12HIPAA Journal. One Third Healthcare Websites Meta Pixel Tracking Code In nearly all of these cases, the defendants denied wrongdoing and settled to avoid the cost of continued litigation.