City of Hope Reaches Settlement Over 2023 Data Breach

City of Hope, a prominent California-based cancer research and treatment center, has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit related to a 2023 data breach that exposed the personal information of over 827,000 people.

Last year, in filing with the Office of the Maine Attorney General and in a data security incident notice published on its website, City of Hope said that on October 13, it identified suspicious activities in certain parts of its internal system and launched an internal investigation, with assistance from third party cyber security experts, to understand the nature and scope of the incident.

The institute’s investigation revealed that threat actors “accessed a subset of our systems and obtained copies of some files between September 19, 2023, and October 12, 2023.” It said it implemented mitigation measures to minimise any disruption to its daily operations.

City of Hope said it has identified at least 827,149 individuals whose personal information including names, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, driver’s license and other government identification numbers, financial details like bank account numbers and credit card details, health insurance information was compromised during the incident.

A class action lawsuit was filed against the healthcare provider, alleging that City of Hope was responsible for a data security incident. City of Hope, however, denied all allegations and affirmed its commitment to safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of personal information.

According to Kroll Settlement Administration, the settlement offers medical identity theft protection and monitoring, plus payments for valid claims. Class Members may receive up to $5,000 for documented out-of-pocket losses and up to 4 hours of lost time ($25/hour) related to the Data Incident. Alternatively, they may claim an Alternative Cash Payment estimated at $100, subject to pro rata adjustment. 

California residents—or those who lived in California between September 19, 2023, and January 13, 2026—may also receive an additional California Statutory Cash Payment estimated at $250, also subject to pro rata adjustment. To receive any benefit, a claim must be filed by January 13, 2026.