Lee Enterprises, Inc. has resolved two separate class actions that may entitle you to money. A $9.5 million settlement over alleged Facebook tracking on Lee newspaper websites received final approval in August 2025 and paid approved claimants $198.26 each starting February 17, 2026. A separate $600,000 settlement covering the February 2025 ransomware attack on Lee’s systems is still open: current and former employees whose data was exposed can file claims through May 26, 2026.
The Data Breach Settlement (Still Open for Claims)
If you received a notice about the February 2025 Lee Enterprises data breach, this is the settlement that still matters for you. It resolves Fetes, et al. v. Lee Enterprises, Inc. (Case No. 3:25-cv-00067-SMR-SBJ) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Chief Judge Stephanie M. Rose granted preliminary approval on January 23, 2026.1ClassAction.org. Fetes, et al. v. Lee Enterprises, Inc. Preliminary Approval Order
The class covers roughly 39,779 people, mostly current and former Lee employees, whose names, Social Security numbers, and medical information were exposed when the Russia-linked Qilin ransomware group broke into Lee’s network.2SecurityWeek. Lee Enterprises Says 40,000 Hit by Ransomware-Caused Data Breach3Lee Enterprises Settlement. Lee Enterprises Data Security Incident Settlement FAQ If Lee sent you a notice of the incident, you are in the class.
What You Can Claim
You choose one of three payment options.
- Option A, ordinary losses. Up to $1,000 for documented out-of-pocket expenses such as bank fees, credit monitoring costs, and identity theft insurance, plus up to four hours of lost time at $20 per hour (an $80 cap). Losses must have been incurred between June 1, 2025 and May 26, 2026.
- Option B, extraordinary losses. Up to $3,000 for documented losses from actual identity theft or fraud within the same window.
- Alternative cash payment. A flat pro rata payment estimated at about $35 with no documentation required. The final amount depends on how many people file.
Everyone in the class can also claim one free year of CyEx Financial Shield Total, a three-bureau credit monitoring service that includes $1 million in fraud insurance, regardless of which cash option you pick.4ClassAction.org. Fetes, et al. v. Lee Enterprises, Inc. Notice of Class Action Settlement
How to File
File online at LeeEnterprisesSettlement.com using the unique ID and PIN printed on your notice. You can also download a paper form and mail it to the settlement administrator, Simpluris, Inc., P.O. Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799. Questions go to (833) 647-9093 or info@LeeEnterprisesSettlement.com.3Lee Enterprises Settlement. Lee Enterprises Data Security Incident Settlement FAQ
Deadlines
- Opt-out or object: April 24, 2026.
- File a claim: May 26, 2026.
- Final approval hearing: June 30, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in Des Moines, Iowa.
Class counsel Gary M. Klinger, Jeff Ostrow, and Leanna A. Loginov plan to seek up to $200,000 in fees and costs, plus $1,000 service awards for each of the six named class representatives, all from the $600,000 fund.4ClassAction.org. Fetes, et al. v. Lee Enterprises, Inc. Notice of Class Action Settlement Lee denies wrongdoing and, as part of the deal, agreed to strengthen its cybersecurity through improved password management, new firewalls, and expanded third-party monitoring.5ClassAction.org. $600K Lee Enterprises Settlement Ends Class Action Lawsuit Over February 2025 Data Breach
What the Breach Involved
Lee discovered the intrusion on February 3, 2025. Qilin claimed it had taken 350 gigabytes of data and demanded ransom.2SecurityWeek. Lee Enterprises Says 40,000 Hit by Ransomware-Caused Data Breach6U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. More Than 75 Lee Enterprises Newspapers Affected by Cyberattack7The Record. Newspaper Giant Lee Enterprises Confirms Data Breach Affecting SSNs Lee told the Maine Attorney General’s Office it had no evidence any exposed data had been misused. Whether Lee paid a ransom has not been publicly confirmed.
The Video Privacy Settlement (Closed, Payments Issued)
The other Lee Enterprises settlement is essentially finished. In Stoudemire, et al. v. Lee Enterprises, Inc. (Case No. 3:22-cv-00086, S.D. Iowa), subscribers alleged that Lee had installed Meta tracking technology on its newspaper websites that captured a “Facebook Identification Number” for each subscriber and sent it to Meta without consent, linking named Facebook users to the video content they watched on Lee’s sites in violation of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act.8Daily Montanan. State’s Largest Newspaper Company Settles Suit for Giving Personal Information to Facebook
Lee denied violating the VPPA but agreed to a $9.5 million fund covering a class of about 1.53 million paid subscribers who had a Facebook account, subscribed to a Lee publication, and accessed video content on a Lee website between December 19, 2020 and March 4, 2025.9Lee Enterprises Settlement. Stoudemire, et al. v. Lee Enterprises, Inc. Settlement Lee also agreed to remove the tracking tools.10Nebraska Examiner. Lee Enterprises Agrees to $9.5 Million Payout, Faces New Class-Action Claims
Judge Stephen H. Locher of the Southern District of Iowa granted final approval on August 14, 2025, and Lee’s insurance carriers funded the settlement in October 2025.11Bloomberg Law. Lee Enterprises $9.5 Million Video Privacy Deal Gets Final Nod12Open Class Actions. Lee Enterprises Privacy Settlement Early estimates had put per-claimant payouts near $41, but because far fewer subscribers filed claims than the total class size, the actual payment came in at $198.26. Payments began going out on February 17, 2026, through the payment method each claimant had selected: Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, a Visa gift card, or a paper check.13Claim Depot. Lee Enterprises Settlement
The claim window for the video privacy case has closed. If you filed a valid claim and have not received payment, the settlement website at leesettlement.com is the place to check status.
Which Settlement Applies to You
These are two entirely separate cases with different classes. The video privacy settlement was for paid newspaper subscribers who also had Facebook accounts and watched video on a Lee site during the class period; that money has been distributed. The data breach settlement is for people whose personal information was exposed in the February 2025 ransomware attack, mostly Lee employees, and that claim window remains open until May 26, 2026. Being in one class does not put you in the other, and Lee sent separate notices for each.