CALIFORNIAN residents could get their share of a $5 million U-Haul settlement – and there’s a single step to claim the cash.
Californian customers who used the service in 2022 and 2023 could be entitled to a $5million settelemt[/caption]
Customers who used the national moving and storage company in 2022 and 2023 whose data was potentially compromised could get up to $100.
To be eligible for the cash, customers must submit a claim form.
According to the U-Haul data breach class action lawsuit, the moving and storage company failed to protect consumer information from two data breaches in 2022 and 2023.
The cyber attacks allegedly compromised consumer names and driver’s license numbers.
U-Haul hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing. The company has agreed to pay $5.085 million to resolve the U-Haul data breach class action lawsuit.
Under the terms of the U-Haul settlement, class members can receive a pro-rata monetary payment.
These payments are estimated to be around $100 per claimant.
However, actual payment amounts may be higher or lower depending on the number of valid claims filed.
Class members must submit a valid claim form by October 15, 2024, to receive UHaul settlement benefits.
Eligible U-Haul customers can score a payment of around $100.
However, this may increase or decrease depending on the amount remaining in the settlement fund after handing out money for class representative service awards, attorneys’ fees, and administration expenses.
To qualify for the direct payment, Americans must have resided in California between November 5, 2021, and April 5, 2022, or around December 5, 2023 – when the data breaches occurred.
Eligible participants must have also received a Notice of Recent Security Incident letter informing them of the alleged data breaches.
Eligible members of the settlement only have a few months to claim their free money.
A final approval hearing for the payout has been scheduled for October 23.
It is unclear when the payments will hit claimants’ bank accounts.
Officials have advised all individuals who are a part of the settlement to “be patient.”
According to the Harvard Business Review, data breaches spiked last year as many companies started using cloud configuration.
More than 60% of the world’s corporate data is estimated to be stored in the cloud.
In 2023, over 80% of data breaches involved data stored in the cloud.
Companies unintentionally misuse the cloud, allowing “excessively permissive cloud access, having unrestricted ports, and use unsecured backups.”
What’s a class-action settlement?
Class action lawsuits offer groups of people, or ‘classes,’ a way to band together in court.
These suits are often brought by one or a few people who allege a company or other entity has wronged a large group of people.
When a suit becomes a class action, it extends to all “class members,” or people who may have similar complaints to those who filed the suit.
Companies often settle class actions – offering payment to class members who typically waive their right to pursue further legal action by accepting money.
These payout agreements frequently include statements by the defendant denying wrongdoing. Companies tend to settle class actions to avoid the costs of further litigation.
Pollution, discrimination, or false advertising are a few examples of what can land a class action on a company’s doorstep.
