Paducah-based Southern Orthopedic Associates, otherwise known as the Orthopaedic Institute of Western Kentucky, has agreed to pay $660,000 to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that it failed to protect patient information from a 2021 cyberattack, according to a Jan. 19 report from Top Class Actions.
While the orthopedic practice is not admitting fault for the attack, it has created a settlement fund to help relieve patients whose information was stolen.
The practice originally set a letter to patients affected by the breach on Dec. 21, 2021. On or around July 7, 2021, the practice became aware of suspicious activity relating to an employee email account and launched an investigation.
The breach potentially exposed the names and Social Security numbers of around 107,000 patients, according to the report.
The plaintiffs and defendant all agreed to a class action settlement to avoid a trial.
Class action filers are eligible to receive up to $350 for ordinary losses, such as bank fees, credit report fees and other out-of-pocket expenses, and up to $5,000 in extraordinary losses — actual, documented and unreimbursed monetary losses arising from fraud or misuse due to the data breach.