Patients caught up in a 2023 intrusion at American Vision Partners can now file claims under a $1.75M settlement that won preliminary court approval this week.
The deal resolves consolidated class actions against Medical Management Resource Group, which runs the eye care network, over a November 2023 break-in that the company confirmed in December had exposed patient files. Names, contact details, birth dates, clinical records, medications, and insurance data were among the stolen information, and Social Security numbers were compromised for a subset of victims.
More than 2.26 million people are covered by the OCR breach report the company filed in February, and the lawsuit pegs the affected count at roughly 1.6 million. About 258,070 class members whose Social Security numbers were taken can claim documented losses up to $3,000, or take a pro rata share; everyone else gains injunctive commitments such as the appointment of a dedicated security chief.
The deadline to opt out is October 13, claims close November 12, and a fairness hearing is set for December 10. The settlement is the latest in a wave of payouts from eye care groups, which hold patient records across hundreds of practice sites and have become a favored target for attackers.
