$1.5 Billion Settlement for Equifax Data Breach Class Action Upheld by Eleventh Circuit
Murphy Falcon & Murphy assisted in securing a successful outcome in the Equifax Data Breach case, where the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $1.5 billion settlement. Murphy Falcon & Murphy’s Managing Partner, Hassan Murphy, served on the seven-member steering committee for the consumer plaintiffs in the Equifax Data Breach Class Action, one of the largest data breaches ever recorded. Hassan Murphy played a significant role in crafting the historic settlement of $1.5 billion for the nationwide Class Action, one of which the district court called “the largest and most comprehensive recovery in a data breach case in U.S. history by several orders of magnitude.”
The massive Equifax breach took place in 2017 and exposed individual’s sensitive and personal information, including addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and for some, the driver’s license and credit card numbers for over 147 million consumers. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia originally approved the settlement in January 2020. The settlement included payment of benefits for cash compensation, including time dedicated to monitoring the breach, credit monitoring, and identity restoration assistance. The ruling also required Equifax to invest $1 billion over the next five years to redesign its data security systems.
Out of the 147 million class members who were involved in the breach, six objectors filed an appeal in 2020 despite the settlement’s wide range of approval. The Eleventh Circuit heard a consolidated case of five appeals filed by six objectors, but on June 3, a unanimous panel of the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the District Court’s rulings approving the settlement. The opinion of the Eleventh Circuit Court brings the consumers affected by this data breach one step closer to their deserved settlement.
Murphy Falcon & Murphy has years of consumer protection and data privacy experience. The Equifax data breach case is among the most recent case victories for Hassan Murphy and the firm’s data breach and cybersecurity litigation practice. Hassan Murphy and the attorneys at Murphy Falcon & Murphy have prosecuted cases involving the largest data breaches in U.S. history, securing millions of dollars in relief for consumers. Our internet privacy violation lawyers are dedicated to providing consumers with the knowledge they need to protect their right to privacy. We work with clients who have had their digital privacy invaded and encourage all consumers to learn their rights and speak up when they are violated.