Xfinity customer? You May Be Owed From $117.5 Million Data Breach Settlement
Comcast has agreed to pay $117.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit stemming from a cyberattack that exposed the personal information of nearly 36 million Xfinity customers in October 2023. The settlement is now open to claims, and current and former customers who received a breach notice from Comcast in December 2023 may be eligible for up to $05,00 or $00. can write off losses associated with the breach. The application deadline is August 14, 2026.
When Comcast notified users of the breach (PDF) in December 2023, the company acknowledged that data thieves stole usernames, passwords, names, contact information, dates of birth and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.
In a class action lawsuit, Hasson v. Comcast Cable Communications LLC (PDF), customers argue that Comcast is liable for financial damages and time spent pursuing copyright protections related to the infringement. While Comcast denied any wrongdoing, the company reached an initial settlement in January, agreeing to pay $117.5 million to 36 million affected customers.
The official payment website is now live, although payments won’t start until after the final court approval hearing. That hearing is currently scheduled for July 7.
If you are eligible for a compensation payment, you can file on the website now. You need the unique member ID number included in the first online communication sent to affected Comcast customers to file a claim.
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You have several options if you do not want to file a claim. If you disagree with the agreed settlement, you can write to the court or ask for permission to speak at the final consent hearing.
You can also opt out of the agreement, which will allow you to retain your right to separately sue Comcast regarding this data breach. If you do not file a claim or opt out of payment by August 14, you will forfeit payment of this compensation.
As part of the settlement, Comcast must pay for and provide identity protection services to any affected class member. Unlike settlement payments, affected customers who do not file a claim will also be able to apply for identity protection services. Anyone who opts out of the poem will not be eligible for those services.
Representatives for Comcast and the law firm Lynch Carpenter LLP, which served as lead counsel for the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Who can be a part of the Comcast settlement?
Not all Comcast customers are automatically eligible to claim part of the compensation payout — the money is reserved for people whose personal information was accessed during the 2023 data breach.
To join, you must meet these three qualifications:
- Be a living, individual person in the US or its territories.
- Comcast services were used during the October 2023 data breach.
- You received notification of a Comcast data breach.
Although the court is scheduled to hold a final approval meeting on July 7, those affected can file a claim on the official compensation website until Aug. 14. The time and date of the approval meeting may be changed. Any updates will be posted on the website.
While some class-action lawsuit settlements pay a lump sum to affected customers who do not file a claim, that is not the case in Hasson v. Comcast Cable Communications LLC. You must file a claim and provide a payment method before the deadline to receive compensation as part of the payment.
How much will the Comcast settlement pay?
The amount of money that each claimant will receive will be equal to the out-of-pocket loss or lost time that you can prove you incurred as a result of the data breach.
The total payout for each claimant is up to $10,000 and is affected by the total settlement amount and the number of affected customers filing a claim.
If you don’t want to go through the process of verifying that out-of-pocket losses or lost time are connected to a data breach, you can choose to accept an additional $50 cash payment. Another cash payment may vary depending on the total number of claimants.
A third of the settlement ($39.2 million) is earmarked to cover attorneys’ fees, subject to court approval. After this amount has been paid, the remaining amount of compensation will be divided among the compensation members who submitted the application form before the deadline.
Whether you’re seeking reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses, lost time or receiving another cash payment, you must file by Aug. 14. Payments will be distributed after the final approval hearing, assuming no appeals.
