Frequently Asked Questions

A Court authorized this Settlement Website because you have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action and about all of your options before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. This Settlement Website explains the Action, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.

The Action is called In re Cardiology Associates Data Breach Litigation, Master File No.: 02-cv-2025-900139 pending in the Circuit Court For Mobile County, Alabama. The people who filed this class action are called the “Plaintiffs” and the company they sued, Cardiology Associates of Mobile, Inc. (“CAM”), is called the “Defendant.”

On or about October 22, 2024, an unauthorized individual, or unauthorized individuals, gained access to CAM’s computer network and data (the “Data Incident”) resulting in the third party’s access to personally identifiable information (“PII”) and personal health information (“PHI”) (collectively, “Private Information”) of current and former medical providers and patients. This Private Information consisted names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, health insurance policy numbers, and/or protected health and medical information. The Defendant began notifying potentially impacted medical providers about the Data Incident in December 2024 and patients in January 2025. Plaintiffs allege negligence, negligence per se, and breach of implied contract, among other claims. The Defendant denies all of the Plaintiffs’ claims and maintains that they did not do anything wrong.

In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals who sue are known as “Class Representatives” or Plaintiffs. Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Settlement Class” or “Settlement Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Settlement Class Members, except for those who exclude themselves (sometimes called, “opting out”) from a settlement. In this Settlement, the Class Representatives are Marilyn Sullivan, Demetrius Fails, James Hurd, Latisha Smith, Charlotte Armstrong, Vera Timmons, Rhonda Linder, Robert Bowers, and Eddie Johnson.

The Court has not decided in favor of the Plaintiffs or Defendant. The Defendant denies all claims and contends that they have not violated any laws. The Plaintiffs and Defendant, along with Released Party Teklinks, Inc. and its affiliates (“Teklinks”), have agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and through the Settlement, Settlement Class Members are eligible for Settlement benefits. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys, who also represent Settlement Class Members as “Class Counsel,” believe the Settlement is in the best interests of all Settlement Class Members.

The Settlement Class consists of all individuals residing in the United States whose PII/PHI was identified as at issue in the Data Incident discovered by CAM in October 2024, including all those individuals who received notice of the Data Incident.

Yes. Excluded from the Settlement Class are CAM, Teklinks, and CAM’s and Teklinks’ parents, subsidiaries, divisions, or affiliates, or their respective successors or predecessors, or any entity in which CAM, Teklinks, or their parents have a controlling interest, or any of their current or former officers and directors; any judge presiding over the Action and members of their families; persons who properly execute and file a timely request for exclusion from the Settlement Class; persons whose claims in this matter have been finally adjudicated on the merits or otherwise released; Plaintiffs’ counsel and CAM’s and Teklinks’ counsel; and the legal representatives, successors, and assigns of any such excluded persons.

Under the proposed Settlement, collectively, CAM and Teklinks will pay $1,250,000 into a Settlement Fund to resolve the Action. The Settlement Fund will provide benefits to Settlement Class Members as well as Notice and Administration Costs, taxes, and any Attorneys’ Fee Award, Costs, and Expenses and Service Awards as approved by the Court. 
 

Settlement Class Members may submit a claim to receive one or both of the following monetary Settlement benefits:

• Compensation for Out-of-Pocket Losses: Reimbursement of up to $4,000 for out-of-pocket losses demonstrably incurred, more likely than not, as a result of the Data Incident. Documentation is required,

  AND/OR

• Pro Rata Cash Payment: A pro rata (proportional) cash payment. No documentation is required. The payment amount will be determined based on the amount of valid claims submitted.

In addition to the monetary Settlement benefits above, Settlement Class Members may also submit a claim for twenty-four (24) months of Credit Monitoring Services.
 

CAM has also agreed to change their security measures to better protect the Settlement Class’s Private Information from future disclosure. The costs of any security measures on the part of CAM were paid or will be paid separately by CAM and will not come out of the Settlement Fund.
 

Settlement benefits may be subject to pro rata (proportional) adjustment based on the number of Approved Claims (see FAQ 11). 

Settlement Class Members may submit a claim for reimbursement of up to $4,000 for out-of-pocket losses demonstrably incurred, more likely than not, as a result of the Data Incident with supporting documentation. 

Out-of-pocket expenses eligible for reimbursement are those incurred as a direct result of the Data Incident, including costs for fraud or identity protection, professional fees, credit repair services, and other expenses so long as the costs were incurred between December 2024 and the Claims Deadline, December 29, 2026. 

In addition to Compensation for Out-of-Pocket Losses, Settlement Class Members may file a claim for a Pro Rata Cash Payment. No documentation is required to claim this benefit. The amount of the cash payment will be determined on a pro rata (proportional) basis (see FAQ 11).

In addition to either Compensation for Out-of-Pocket Losses and a Pro Rata Cash Payment, all Settlement Class Members can submit a claim for twenty-four (24) months of credit and identity theft monitoring. The credit and identity theft monitoring will have the following features: real time monitoring of the credit file at all three (3) major credit bureaus; identity theft insurance of $1,000,000; and access to fraud resolution agents to help resolve identity thefts.

The Settlement Administrator will provide Claimants who select this benefit with enrollment instructions after final approval of the Settlement (see FAQ 14).

Once Notice and Administration Costs, taxes, and any Court-approved Attorneys’ Fee Award, Costs, and Expenses and Service Awards have been deducted from the Settlement Fund, the remaining balance (the “Net Settlement Fund”) will be used to pay the costs of valid claims for Settlement benefits. Benefits will be calculated in the following order: Credit Monitoring Services, Compensation for Out-of-Pocket Losses, and Pro Rata Cash Payments. 

If at any point, the amount of valid claims exceeds the remaining balance of the Net Settlement Fund for the category of benefit being calculated, the payment amount or benefit duration will be reduced pro rata (proportionally) and/or not distributed as described in the Settlement Agreement available on the Important Documents page of this Settlement Website. The Pro Rata Cash Payment amount will be determined after all other Settlement costs, expenses, awards, and benefits have been calculated. Settlement Class Members who submit a valid claim selecting this benefit will receive an equal share of the remaining balance (if any) with the aim of exhausting the Net Settlement Fund.

Unless you opt out of the Settlement, you cannot sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against CAM, Teklinks, or other Released Parties about any of the legal claims this Settlement resolves. The Release section in the Settlement Agreement describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Settlement Class. The Settlement Agreement can be found on the Important Documents page of this Settlement Website.

You must submit a Claim Form by December 29, 2026, to receive Settlement benefits. Claim Forms must be submitted, with any necessary supporting documentation, online by using the Submit Claim button on this Settlement Website by December 29, 2026, or by mail, postmarked by December 29, 2026, to the Settlement Administrator at:

Settlement Administrator - 83473
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
    P.O. Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391

The short answer is – after the Settlement is “finally approved” and any challenges to that approval are finally resolved. The Court is scheduled to hold a Final Approval Hearing on January 29, 2027, to decide whether to approve the Settlement, Class Counsel’s request for Attorneys’ Fee Award, Costs, and Expenses, and Service Awards.

If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. It is always uncertain whether appeals will be filed and, if so, how long it will take to resolve them. Settlement benefits will be distributed as soon as possible, if and when the Court grants final approval of the Settlement and after any appeals are resolved.

Yes, the Court appointed Ken Grunfeld of Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert PA, Mariya Weekes of Milberg PLLC, Leanna A. Loginov of Shamis & Gentile, P.A., and Jon Mann of Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann, P.C. to represent you and other members of the Settlement Class as Class Counsel. You will not be charged directly for these lawyers; instead, they will receive compensation from the Settlement Fund, subject to Court approval.

It is not necessary for you to hire your own lawyer because Class Counsel works for you. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve attorneys’ fees up to 33.33% of the Settlement Fund ($416,625) plus reimbursement of reasonable costs and expenses incurred in prosecuting the litigation. If approved, these amounts will be paid from the Settlement Fund before providing benefits to Settlement Class Members who submit valid claims.

If you do not want to receive any benefits from the Settlement, and you want to keep your right to separately sue CAM, Teklinks, and other Released Parties about the legal issues in this case, you must take steps to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class. This is called “opting out” of the Settlement Class. 

To exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must submit a written Opt-Out Request to the Settlement Administrator that includes the following information:
 

• Your full name, address, and telephone number; 

• A statement indicating your intent to request exclusion “I wish to opt out of the Settlement in In re Cardiology Associates Data Breach Litigation, Master File No.: 02-cv-2025-900139.";

• Your personal and original signature (or the original signature of a person authorized by law, such as a trustee, guardian, or person acting under a power of attorney to act on your behalf with respect to a claim or right such as those in the Action).

   

Your Opt-Out Request must be mailed to the Settlement Administrator at the address below, postmarked no later than November 30, 2026.

Settlement Administrator - 83473
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
ATTN: Opt-Out Requests
P.O. Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you can choose (but are not required) to object to the Settlement if you do not like it or a portion of it, whether that be to the Settlement benefits, request for attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses, and Service Awards, Release provided to the Defendant, or some other aspect of the Settlement. Through an Objection, you give reasons why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement.
 

To be considered by the Court, your Objection must include:
 

• The case name and number, In re Cardiology Associates Data Breach Litigation, Master File No.: 02-cv-2025-900139;

• Your full name, current address, and telephone number; 

• A statement that you object to the Settlement, in whole or in part;

• A statement of the legal and factual basis for the Objection;

• Copies of any documents that you wish to submit in support of your position; and

• Your original signature.
   

Objections must be filed with, or mailed to, the Court no later than November 30, 2026.
 

Circuit Court for Mobile County, Alabama
205 Government St., 9th Floor, N Tower
Mobile, AL 36644
 

A copy of your Objection also must be mailed to Class Counsel, Defendant’s Counsel (CAM’s Counsel), and the Settlement Administrator at the addresses below, postmarked no later than November 30, 2026.
 

If you intend to appear at the Final Approval Hearing, either with or without counsel, you must also file a notice of appearance with the Court (as well as serve the notice on Class Counsel and CAM’s Counsel) by the Objection Deadline. 

If you intend to appear at the Final Approval Hearing through counsel, you must also identify the attorney(s) representing you who will appear at the hearing and include the attorney(s) name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and state bar(s) to which counsel is admitted, as well as associated state bar numbers.

If you do not file a timely Objection and/or notice of intent to appear at the Final Approval Hearing, you will not be able to object to the Settlement.

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 it. Excluding yourself from the Settlement means telling the Court you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you exclude yourself or opt out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.

The Court is scheduled to hold a Final Approval Hearing on January 29, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. CT, at Courtroom 6500, Mobile County Courthouse, 205 Government Street, Mobile AL 36644, or by video conference, to decide whether to approve the Settlement, Class Counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees of up to $416,625, plus reimbursement of reasonable costs and expenses, and the $2,500 Service Awards to each of the Class Representatives who brought this Action on behalf of the Settlement Class. The date and time of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check the Home page of this Settlement Website for updates.

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense. If you file an Objection, you may come to the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it, but it is not required. If you file your written Objection on time and in accordance with the requirements above, the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but it is not necessary.

If you are a Settlement Class Member and you do nothing, you will give up your right to start a lawsuit, continue a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Defendant and the Released Parties, as defined in the Settlement Agreement, about the legal issues resolved by this Settlement. In addition, you will be bound by the Release in the Settlement and will not be eligible to receive any Settlement benefits.

This Settlement Website summarizes the proposed Settlement. Complete details are provided in the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available on the Important Documents page of this Settlement Website.
 

If you have additional questions or need to update your address, you may contact the Settlement Administrator by telephone at (833) 453-3702, or by mail at:
 

Settlement Administrator - 83473
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391