1. Why was the Notice issued?
2. What is this lawsuit about?
3. What is a class action?
4. Why is there a settlement?
5. Who is included in the Settlement?
6. Are there exceptions to being included?
7. What does the Settlement provide?
8. What claims am I releasing if I stay in the Class?
9. How do I submit a claim for a Settlement benefit?
10. Are there any important Settlement payment deadlines?
11. When will the Settlement benefits be issued?
12. Do I have a lawyer in this case?
13. Should I get my own lawyer?
14. How will Class Counsel be paid?
15. How do I opt out of the Settlement?
16. How do I tell the Court that I like or do not like the Settlement?
17. What is the difference between objecting and excluding?
18. When is the Court's Final Approval Hearing?
19. Do I have to come to the Final Approval Hearing?
20. What happens if I do nothing at all?
21. How do I get more information?
The Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia, authorized the Notice. You have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit, and about all of your options, before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. The Notice explains the lawsuit, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.
The lawsuit is called In re Tift Regional Health System, Inc. Data Breach Litigation, Case No. 2023CV0313. It is pending in the Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia. The people that filed this lawsuit are called the "Plaintiffs" (or "Class Representatives") and the companies they sued, Tift Regional Health System, Inc. and Southwell, Inc., are called the "Defendants."
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This lawsuit alleges that during the August 2022 targeted cyberattack on Tift's computer systems, certain files that contained private information were accessed. These files may have contained personal information such as names; dates of birth; Social Security numbers; and medical information.
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In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals are called the “Plaintiffs” or “Class Representatives.” Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Class” or “Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Class Members, except for those who opt out from the Settlement. In this Settlement, the Class Representatives are Chaka Davis; Brooke Dobbins; Janice Farley; and Zoie Walsh. Everyone included in this Lawsuit are the Class Members.
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The Court did not decide whether the Plaintiffs or the Defendants are right. Both sides have agreed to a settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and to allow the Class Members to receive benefits from the Settlement. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Class Members.
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The Court has defined the Class this way: “All individuals residing in the United States whose Private Information may have been compromised or otherwise impacted in the Data Security Incident, including all those who received notice of the breach.”
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Yes. Excluded from the Class are: (1) the Judge(s) presiding over the Litigation, and the Judge's immediate family and staff; (2) Tift and its officers, directors, related companies, successors, predecessors, and any entity in which Tift has a controlling interest (3) anyone who validly excludes themselves from the Settlement; and (4) the successors or assigns of any such excluded natural person.
If you are not sure whether you are a Class Member, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
Tift Data Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
Email: info@TiftDataSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7345
You may also view the Settlement Agreement here.
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Tift will establish a Settlement Fund of $1,200,000.00. The Settlement Fund will first be used to pay court-approved attorneys' fees and costs, Service Award payments for the Plaintiffs, and the costs of administering the Settlement. The net remaining money will be used to pay for the benefits described below.
All Class Members are eligible to enroll in Credit Monitoring Services and one of two cash payment options. These benefits are described in more detail below.
Credit Monitoring Services. All Class Members are eligible to enroll in two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete. This comprehensive service comes with $1 million of medical identity theft insurance, and includes monitoring for:
healthcare insurance ID exposure
Medical Record Number (MRN) exposure
unauthorized Health Savings Account (HSA) spending
If anything suspicious happens, you will be able to talk to a fraud resolution agent to help fix any problems.
Cash Payment Options
Documented Loss Payment. If you incurred actual, documented out-of-pocket losses due to the Data Security Incident, you can get back up to $5,000.00. The losses must have occurred between August 11, 2022, and October 15, 2026.
This benefit covers out-of-pocket expenses like:
losses because of identity theft or fraud
fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, or freezing and unfreezing your credit
cost to replace your IDs
postage to contact banks by mail
You need to send proof, like bank statements or receipts, to show how much you spent or lost. You can also send notes or papers you made yourself to explain or support other proof, but those notes or papers alone are not enough to make a valid claim. Your proof or notes should show that your expenses were because of the Data Security Incident.
You cannot claim a payment for expenses that have already been reimbursed by a third party.
Alternative Cash Payment. Instead of the Documented Loss Payment, you may claim a one-time pro rata cash payment.
It is expected that a significant amount of money will remain in the Settlement Fund after all expenses and all other benefits have been paid. All of this remaining money will be divided equally between everyone who claims an Alternative Cash Payment.
This payment is expected to be $75.00, but may be larger or smaller depending on the total claims filed. You do not have to provide any proof or explanation to claim this payment.
If you have questions about these benefits, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
Tift Data Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
Email: info@TiftDataSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7345
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If you stay in the class, you won't be able to be part of any other lawsuit against Tift about the issues that this Settlement covers. The “Releases” section of the Settlement Agreement (Section 4) describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Class. The Settlement Agreement is available here.
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The fastest way to submit your Claim Form is online here. If you prefer, you can download a printable Claim Form here and mail it to the Settlement Administrator at:
Tift Data Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
You may also contact the Settlement Administrator to request a Claim Form by email info@TiftDataSettlement.com, or by U.S. mail at the address above.
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If you are submitting a Claim Form online here, you must do so by October 15, 2026. If you are downloading a Claim Form here and submitting a claim by U.S. mail, the completed and signed Claim Form, including supporting documentation, must be postmarked no later than October 15, 2026.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on September 14, 2026 (see Question 18). If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. We do not know if appeals will be filed, or how long it will take to resolve them if they are filed.
Settlement payments will be distributed if the Court grants final approval, and after any appeals are resolved.
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Yes, the Court has appointed attorneys Gary Mason of Mason LLP; William B. Federman of Federman & Sherwood; Bryan L. Bleichner of Chestnut Cambronne PA; and Kevin Laukaitis of Laukaitis Law LLC, to represent you and other Class Members ("Class Counsel").
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You will not be charged for Class Counsel’s services. If you want your own lawyer, you may hire one at your expense.
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Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve $360,000.00 as reasonable attorneys' fees, plus reimbursement of litigation costs. This amount will be paid from the Settlement Fund.
Class Counsel will also ask for Service Award payments of $2,500.00 for each of the Class Representatives. Service Award payments will also be paid from the Settlement Fund.
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If you do not want to be part of the Settlement, you must formally exclude yourself from the Settlement. This is called a Request for Exclusion, and is sometimes also called "opting out." If you opt out, you will not receive Settlement benefits or payment. However, you will keep any rights you may have to sue Tift on your own about the legal issues in this case.
If you exclude yourself, you are telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. You will not be eligible to receive any Settlement benefits if you exclude yourself.
The deadline to exclude yourself from the Settlement is September 15, 2026.
To be valid, your Request for Exclusion must have the following information:
the name of the Litigation: In re Tift Regional Health System, Inc. Data Breach Litigation, Case No. 2023CV0313, pending in the Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
personal signature; and
the words “Request for Exclusion” or a clear and similar statement that you do not want to participate in the Settlement.
You may only exclude yourself — not any other person.
Mail your Request for Exclusion to the Settlement Administrator at:
Tift Data Security Incident Settlement
ATTN: Exclusion Request
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
Your Request for Exclusion must be submitted, postmarked, or emailed by September 15, 2026.
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If you are a Class Member and do not like part or all of the Settlement, you can object to it. Objecting means telling the Court your reasons for why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement. The Court will consider your views.
You cannot object if you have excluded yourself from the Settlement (see Question 15).
You must provide the following information for the Court to consider your objection:
the name of the Litigation: In re Tift Regional Health System, Inc. Data Breach Litigation, Case No. 2023CV0313, pending in the Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
information that proves that you are a Class Member (such as a notice you have received);
a clear description of all the reasons you object; include any legal support, such as documents, you may have for your objection;
if you have hired your own lawyer to represent you for this objection, provide their name, bar number, and contact information;
if you or your lawyer have objected in any other cases in the past five years, list the names, courts, and civil action numbers for each of those cases;
whether or not you or your lawyer would like to speak at the Final Approval Hearing; and
your signature (if you have hired your own lawyer, their signature is not sufficient).
For your objection to be valid, it must meet each of these requirements.
To be considered by the Court, you must file your complete objection with the Clerk of Court by September 15, 2026. You must also send a copy of the objection to the Settlement Administrator.
Clerk of the Court | Settlement Administrator |
Clerk of the Court | Tift Data Security Incident Settlement |
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Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement. Excluding yourself from the Settlement is opting out and stating to the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you opt out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.
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The Court will hold a final approval on September 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, at Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia, at 237 E 2nd St, Tifton, GA 31794.
At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. The Court will also decide how Class Counsel should be paid, and whether to award Service Award payments to the Class Representatives. The Court will also consider any objections to the Settlement.
If you are a Class Member, you or your lawyer may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost (see Question 16).
The date and time of the hearing may change without further notice. Please visit this website for updates.
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No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense if you wish, but you do not have to.
If you file an objection, you do not have to come to the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it; the Court will consider it as long as it was filed on time. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but you do not have to.
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If you do nothing, you will not receive a benefit from this Settlement.
You will also give up the rights described in Question 8.
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This website and the Notice are a summary of the proposed Settlement. The full Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available on the Important Documents page.
If you have additional questions, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
Tift Data Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
Email: info@TiftDataSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7345
You can obtain copies of publicly filed documents by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court, 237 E 2nd St, Tifton, GA 31794.
Do not contact the Court or Clerk of Court regarding this Settlement.
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