SEIU Agrees to $550,000 Settlement Following Data Breach Lawsuit

• The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 32BJ, agreed to a $550,000 settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit claiming it failed to adequately protect its members’ personal data during a breach that occurred between October and November 2021.
• Eligible class members can receive cash payments of up to $1,500 for out-of-pocket expenses and losses related to the breach. The deadline for claim submissions is June 20, 2023, with the final approval hearing for the settlement scheduled for July 13, 2023.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 32BJ, has agreed to pay $550,000 as part of a settlement in a class-action lawsuit, aimed at resolving claims that it failed to protect its members from a 2021 data breach.

The settlement benefits individuals whose personal identifying information may have been compromised in the data breach that was announced on February 11, 2022. The breach, which transpired between October 21 and November 1, 2021, allegedly compromised sensitive data including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers.

The lawsuit against the union, the largest property service worker union in the United States with 175,000 members, claimed that the data breach could have been prevented with adequate cybersecurity measures, which the SEIU negligently failed to implement.

Though the SEIU has not admitted to any wrongdoing, it agreed to the settlement to resolve the data breach class-action lawsuit. Under the settlement terms, class members are eligible to receive cash payments of up to $1,500 for out-of-pocket expenses and losses. These may include bank fees, communication charges, credit-related costs, fraudulent charges, identity theft damages, and compensation for up to four hours of lost time at a rate of $25 per hour.

The deadline for exclusion and objection is June 5, 2023, and the final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for July 13, 2023. To receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by June 20, 2023.

Class members eligible for the settlement are individuals whose personal identifying information may have been compromised during the SEIU Local 32BJ data breach announced in February 2022.

Class members are required to submit documentation of data breach-related losses as proof of purchase. Claims can be submitted through the settlement website, MateoDataIncidentSettlement.com, or via mail at the address of Kroll Settlement Administration LLC.

The lawsuit, named Mateo, et al. v. Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, Case No. BER-L-004121-22, is in the New Jersey Superior Court for Bergen County. The class counsel is Kenneth J Grunfeld and Kevin W Fay of GOLOMB SPIRT GRUNFELD PC. The defense counsel is Spencer Persson and Mohammad B Pathan of DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINE LLP.