Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is the Notice being provided?
- What is this lawsuit about?
- What is a class action?
- Why is there a Settlement?
- How do I know if I am part of the Settlement?
- Are there exceptions to being included in the Settlement?
- What does the Settlement provide?
- How do I get benefits from the Settlement?
- How will claims be decided?
- When will I get my payment?
- I have not received my payment, what do I do?
- Do I need to do anything to remain in the Settlement?
- What am I giving up as part of the Settlement?
- If I exclude myself can I still get payment from the Settlement?
- If I do not exclude myself can I sue Defendant for the same thing later?
- How do I get out of the Settlement?
- Do I have a lawyer in this case?
- How will Class Counsel be paid?
- How do I tell the Court that I do not like the Settlement?
- What is the difference between objecting to and excluding myself from the Settlement?
- When and where will the Court decide whether to approve the Settlement?
- Do I have to come to the Final Approval Hearing?
- May I speak at the Final Approval Hearing?
- What happens if I do nothing?
- Are more details about the Settlement available?
- How do I get more information?
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Why is the Notice being provided?
The Court directed that the Notice be provided because you have a right to know about a proposed settlement that has been reached in this class action lawsuit and about all of your options before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. If the Court approves the Settlement, and after objections or appeals, if any, are resolved, the Settlement Administrator appointed by the Court will distribute the payments and credit monitoring codes that the Settlement allows. The Notice you received explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, your legal rights, what payments are available, who is eligible for them, and how to get them.
The Court in charge of this case is the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Kings County. The case is known as Johnson, et al. v. One Brooklyn Health System, Inc., Index No. 512485/2023 (the “Lawsuit”). The people who filed the Lawsuit are called the Plaintiffs and the entity they sued, One Brooklyn Health, System, Inc., is called the Defendant. The Plaintiffs and the Defendant agreed to this Settlement.
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What is this lawsuit about?
On or around November 19, 2022, OBH identified suspicious activity within its internal computer network. OBH’s investigation determined that an unauthorized party accessed OBH’s computer network and allegedly accessed and acquired documents on the system. The information contained in the files that allegedly were accessed included names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license or state identification numbers, dates of birth, financial account information, medical treatment information, prescription information, medical diagnosis or condition information, and health insurance information. The Lawsuit claims that the Defendant was responsible for failing to prevent the Data Incident and asserts claims such as: negligence, negligence per se, violation of General Business Law § 349, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of implied contract, breach of express contract, unjust enrichment, and violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. The Lawsuit seeks, among other things, payment for persons who were injured by the Data Incident.
Defendant has denied and continues to deny all of the claims made in the Lawsuit, as well as all charges of wrongdoing or liability against it. No court or other entity has made any judgment or other determination of any wrongdoing or that the law has been violated. By entering into this Settlement, OBH is not admitting that it did anything wrong.
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What is a class action?
In a class action, one or more people called Class Representatives sue on behalf of people who they allege have similar claims. Together, all these people are called a Class or Class members. One Court and one judge resolve the issues for all Class members, except for those who exclude themselves from the Class.
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Why is there a Settlement?
The Court did not decide in favor of the Plaintiffs or Defendant. Instead, the Plaintiffs negotiated a settlement with Defendant that allows both the Plaintiffs and Defendant to avoid the risks and costs of lengthy and uncertain litigation and the uncertainty of a trial and appeals. It also allows Settlement Class Members to obtain payment and credit monitoring services without further delay. The Class Representatives and their attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Settlement Class Members. This Settlement does not mean that Defendant did anything wrong.
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How do I know if I am part of the Settlement?
You are part of this Settlement as a Settlement Class Member if your personal information may have been compromised, accessed, or involved in the Data Incident.
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Are there exceptions to being included in the Settlement?
Yes. Specifically excluded from the Settlement Class are: (1) the judges presiding over the Action and members of their immediate families and their staff; (2) OBH, its affiliates, subsidiaries, parent companies, successors, predecessors, and any entity in which OBH, or its parents, have a controlling interest, and its current or former officers, directors, and trustees; (3) natural persons who properly execute and submit a Request for Exclusion prior to the expiration of the Opt-Out Period; and (4) the successors or assigns of any such excluded natural person.
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What does the Settlement provide?
Defendant will create a Settlement Fund of $1,500,000.00, which will be used to pay for notice, applicable Taxes, administration, attorneys’ fees, costs, expenses, and class representative Service Awards, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Settlement. The benefits to Settlement Class Members are explained below:
Alternative Cash Payment
As an alternative to a claim for Actual Out-of-Pocket Losses and Attested Time, and/or Credit Monitoring (described below), Settlement Class Members may submit a claim to receive a pro rata cash payment from the Settlement Fund (“Alternative Cash Payment”). The amount of the Alternative Cash Payment will be calculated in accordance with the Settlement Agreement, which provides for a distribution of the Settlement Fund to first cover other costs and then distribute the remaining funds evenly amongst Settlement Class Members who elected to receive an Alternative Cash Payment.
Compensation for Out-of-Pocket Losses and Credit Monitoring
In lieu of selecting an Alternative Cash Payment as described above, Class Members may instead elect to receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses (including lost time) and credit monitoring services. The Settlement provides compensation for the following unreimbursed losses, so long as you do not select a claim for an Alternative Cash Payment:
- Unreimbursed Out-of-Pocket Expenses or Losses: Out-of-pocket expenses up to $2,500.00 incurred as a result of the Data Incident, including: documented bank fees, long distance phone charges, cell phone charges (only if charged by the minute), data charges (only if charged based on the amount of data used), postage, gasoline for local travel, and fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, or other identity theft insurance product purchased between July 9, 2022, and March 10, 2025. Settlement Class Members may also submit up to 4 hours of lost time at a rate of $25.00 per hour for time spent dealing with the Data Incident.
Compensation for lost time requires only an attestation that any claimed lost time was spent related to the Data Incident.
Compensation for unreimbursed losses (except for lost time), shall be paid only if: (1) the loss is an actual, documented, and unreimbursed monetary loss; (2) the loss was more likely than not caused by the Data Incident; and (3) the Settlement Class Member made reasonable efforts to avoid, or seek reimbursement for, the loss, including but not limited to exhaustion of all available credit monitoring insurance and identity theft insurance. Self-prepared documents, such as handwritten receipts, are, by themselves, insufficient to receive reimbursement.
- Credit Monitoring: Settlement Class Members who do not opt for the Alternative Cash Payment are eligible to receive 24 months of Credit Monitoring and Identity Theft Protection Services free of charge. The Credit Monitoring and Identity Theft Protection Services will be provided to all valid claimants who timely enroll in these services for a period of 24 months from the date of activation, including daily three-bureau credit monitoring with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion; identity restoration services; and $1 million in identity theft insurance, among other features.
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How do I get benefits from the Settlement?
A claim form was required to be submitted in order to obtain benefits from he settlement. The deadline to submit a Claim Form passed on March 10, 2025.
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How will claims be decided?
The Settlement Administrator will initially decide whether the information provided on a Claim Form is complete and valid. The Settlement Administrator may require additional information from any Claimant. If the required information is not timely provided, the claim will be considered invalid. Any Class Member who makes a claim for Documented Loss Payment that is denied (and cannot be cured after a reasonable period of time) will have their claim deemed one for an Alternative Cash Payment, rather than have it be denied outright.
Additional information regarding the claims process can be found in Section 7 of the Settlement Agreement, available here.
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When will I get my payment?
Initial payments to qualified class members were mailed via check and emailed via EpiqPay on July 25, 2025. These payments will not be reissued.
Supplemental/Second payment were mailed on March 24, 2026, via check and email from the sender “One Brooklyn Health Data Incident Settlement Administrator.” to class members who cashed their initial payment award.
Class Members whose mailing address or legal name has changed should promptly inform the Settlement Administrator to ensure timely receipt of any settlement payment.
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I have not received my payment, what do I do?
If you selected to receive your payment via check and you have not received it, you can contact us to request a check be reissued to you. You can email us at info2@OBHSettlement.com or write to us at:
One Brooklyn Health Data Incident Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 5654
Portland, OR 97228-5654When requesting a reissue please provide your full name and if your address has changed, please provide both your old and your new address, so that we can locate and update your record.
If you selected to receive your payment via a digital payment and your digital payment failed or you were unable to claim your digital payment, at the conclusion of the digital campaign, failed digital payments will all be reissued as checks and mailed to the address you provided when you submitted your claim. At this time, we are not expecting that payment reissue to be completed until June 2026. We appreciate your patience, as we wait for the digital payment campaign to be completed.
Class Members whose mailing address or legal name has changed should promptly inform the Settlement Administrator to ensure timely receipt of any settlement payment.
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Do I need to do anything to remain in the Settlement?
You do not have to do anything to remain in the Settlement, but if you want a payment or credit monitoring services you must submit a Claim Form postmarked or submitted online by March 10, 2025.
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What am I giving up as part of the Settlement?
If the Settlement becomes final, you will give up your right to sue Defendant for the claims being resolved by this Settlement. The specific claims you are giving up against Defendant are described in Section 4 of the Settlement Agreement. You will be “releasing” Defendant and all related people or entities as described in Section 4 of the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement is available here.
The Settlement Agreement describes the released claims with specific descriptions, so read it carefully. If you have any questions about what this means you can talk to the law firms listed in FAQ 16 for free or you can, of course, talk to your own lawyer at your own expense.
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If I exclude myself can I still get payment from the Settlement?
No. If you exclude yourself from the Settlement, you will not be entitled to any benefits of the Settlement, but you will not be bound by any judgment in this case.
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If I do not exclude myself can I sue Defendant for the same thing later?
No. Unless you exclude yourself from the Settlement, you give up any right to sue Defendant for the claims that this Settlement resolves. You must exclude yourself from the Settlement Class to start your own lawsuit or to be part of any different lawsuit relating to the claims in this case. If you exclude yourself, do not submit a Claim Form to ask for a payment.
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How do I get out of the Settlement?
The deadline to exclude yourself passed on January 24, 2025.
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Do I have a lawyer in this case?
Yes. The Court appointed Benjamin F. Johns of Shub & Johns LLC and Ben Barnow of Barnow and Associates, P.C. to represent you and other Settlement Class Members. These lawyers are called Class Counsel. You will not be charged for these lawyers. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.
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How will Class Counsel be paid?
The Court approved service awards of $1,000 to each of the Class Representatives in recognition of their service on behalf of the Settlement Class.
In addition, the Court awarded Class Counsel attorneys' fees in the amount of $500,000, which represents one-third of the $1,500,000 Settlement Fund, as well as reimbursement of litigation costs and expenses totaling $16,041.44. The Court determined that these amounts are fair and reasonable. Payment of attorneys' fees and expenses has been made pursuant to the procedures described in the Settlement Agreement.
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How do I tell the Court that I do not like the Settlement?
The deadline to object to the Settlement passed on January 24, 2025.
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What is the difference between objecting to and excluding myself from the Settlement?
Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. Excluding yourself is telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Class in this Settlement. If you exclude yourself from the Settlement, you have no basis to object or submit a Claim Form because the Settlement no longer affects you.
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When and where will the Court decide whether to approve the Settlement?
The Court granted Final Approval of the Settlement on April 22, 2025.
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Do I have to come to the Final Approval Hearing?
The Court granted Final Approval of the Settlement on April 22, 2025.
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May I speak at the Final Approval Hearing?
The Court granted Final Approval of the Settlement on April 22, 2025.
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What happens if I do nothing?
If you do nothing, you will not receive any compensation from this Settlement. If the Court approves the Settlement, you will be bound by the Settlement Agreement and the Release. This means you will not be able to start a lawsuit, continue with a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against Defendant or related parties about the issues involved in the Lawsuit, resolved by this Settlement, and released by the Settlement Agreement.
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Are more details about the Settlement available?
Yes. This website and the Notice summarize the proposed Settlement. More details are in the Settlement Agreement, which is available here, or by writing to the One Brooklyn Health Data Incident Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 5654, Portland, OR 97228-5654.
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How do I get more information?
Call 888-961-5105, or write to the One Brooklyn Health Data Incident Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 5654, Portland, OR 97228-5654.
Please do not call the Court or the Clerk of the Court for additional information.
They cannot answer any questions regarding the Settlement or the Lawsuit.
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