Physicians Primary Care of Southwest Florida has reached a class action settlement following a September 2024 cyberattack that exposed the protected health information of over 170,000 individuals. The medical facility, which operates offices in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, and Lehigh Acres, discovered unauthorized network access on September 17, 2024, with hackers maintaining access from September 15 to September 17.
The lawsuit, Cirillo et al. v. Physicians Primary Care of Southwest Florida, alleged that the organization failed to implement reasonable security measures to prevent the breach. While the practice denies wrongdoing, the settlement provides up to $5,000 per class member for documented out-of-pocket losses, as well as two years of medical monitoring services including a $1 million identity theft insurance policy.
The settlement has received preliminary court approval, with the final fairness hearing scheduled for September 14, 2026. Class members must submit claims by September 29, 2026, and those wishing to object or opt out must do so by August 30. This case underscores the growing financial consequences of healthcare data breaches and the increasing willingness of courts to certify class actions against providers that fail to protect patient data.
