SAN ANTONIO – After nearly 42,000 employees and students were affected by a 2022 data breach, Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) has decided to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit.
A certification and final approval of the class hearing is set for Nov. 15 after a preliminary approval was given in July.
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According to a statement from the university on the city’s West Side, the personal information that was hacked included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, medical costs, and debit/credit card information.
The settlement agreement terms mean those affected by the data breach have their ordinary out-of-pocket expenses, including losses like bank fees from identity theft, capped at $400 each.
For extraordinary out-of-pocket expenses, class members must show documentation proving they made reasonable efforts to avoid the losses, such as identity theft insurance. This will be capped at $2,500 each, according to the agreement.
Class members can submit a claim to accept two years of credit monitoring and theft restoration services.
The agreement says they can receive up to three hours of lost time at $25 an hour.
Additionally, the university agreed to pay administration costs and attorney fees for the settlement, totaling around $216,000.
OLLU publicly announced the notice in March of last year, apologizing for the incident and saying they were “not aware of any reports of identity fraud or improper use of any information as a result of this incident.”
One Texas student, Ana Vasquez, who applied to the university but never enrolled in 2019, sued the university on behalf of herself, current and former students, those who had applied to the university, and OLLU employees in April 2023.
She said she suffered injury, citing $295 in fraudulent credit card charges, loss of time mitigating identity theft risk and invasion of privacy.
Another complaint was filed by Jose Gonzalez of a similar nature in May 2023, and the suits were combined.
These plaintiffs stand to receive $5,000 each in service awards.
In the suit, the plaintiffs said, “The present and continuing risk to victims of the Data Breach will remain for their respective lifetimes.”
