Chattanooga Heart Institute Data Breach Settlement: File a Claim for Up to $5,500 by July 13, 2026
Chattanooga Heart Institute Data Breach Class Action Settlement
Memorial Heart Institute, LLC (d/b/a The Chattanooga Heart Institute) agreed to a $3.75 million settlement over a March 2023 data breach that exposed patients' sensitive personal and medical information. Individuals whose Private Information may have been accessed during the March 8–16, 2023 incident can submit a claim for reimbursement of documented losses up to $5,500 and two years of free medical monitoring. Members of the Social Security Number subclass (approximately 287,000 people) can also claim a pro rata cash payment. The claim deadline is July 13, 2026.
Settlement fund
$3.75M
Common fund
Top payout
Up to $5,500
Documented losses + pro rata cash (SSN class)
Claim deadline
Jul 13, 2026
14 days remaining
You may be owed money
Filing is free and takes a few minutes. Deadline: Jul 13, 2026.
Do you qualify?
You are a Class Member if ALL of the following apply:
- Your Private Information may have been accessed or involved in the Chattanooga Heart Institute data breach that occurred between March 8 and March 16, 2023 (approximately 460,000 individuals are in the Total Class).
- Your Social Security number was identified as accessed or accessible during the Data Incident (approximately 287,000 individuals are in the SSN Subclass, which also qualifies for a pro rata cash payment in addition to other benefits).
- Excluded: Excluded from the Settlement Class are: the judges assigned to the case and their staff and immediate family members; counsel for the parties and their staff and immediate family members; any governmental entity; any entity in which the Defendant has a controlling interest; Defendant's subsidiaries, parents, affiliates, and officers, directors, legal representatives, heirs, successors, or assigns; and Settlement Class Members who submitted a valid Request for Exclusion prior to the June 12, 2026 opt-out deadline.
Not sure if you qualify? Call the Settlement Administrator at (833) 754-9442, or visit ChattanoogaHeartSettlement.com.
What happened
Between March 8 and March 16, 2023, Memorial Heart Institute, LLC, doing business as The Chattanooga Heart Institute, experienced a cybersecurity incident during which unauthorized parties may have accessed or acquired patients' Private Information. The compromised data included names, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers, account information, health insurance information, diagnosis and condition information, lab results, medications, and other clinical, demographic, or financial information. Plaintiffs Stephen Cahill, Sheila Edwards, Sidney Jackson, Gisele Reed Allen, Jeff Bryden, and Elyn Painter filed this class action lawsuit alleging the Defendant failed to adequately protect patients' sensitive information.
Memorial Heart Institute denies all of the plaintiffs' claims and maintains that it did not do anything wrong. The parties agreed to settle to avoid the cost, risk, and time of continued litigation.
How to file a claim
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1. Confirm you are eligible
You must be an individual whose Private Information may have been accessed or involved in the Chattanooga Heart Institute data breach between March 8 and March 16, 2023. If your Social Security number was among the data accessed, you are also a member of the SSN Subclass and eligible for additional benefits.
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2. Gather documentation (for out-of-pocket claims)
No documentation is required to claim two years of Medical Monitoring. If you are an SSN Class member, no documentation is required for the pro rata cash payment either. If you want to claim reimbursement for documented out-of-pocket losses up to $5,500, you will need third-party documentation such as bank statements, credit card statements, or identity protection service receipts showing unreimbursed costs fairly traceable to the Data Incident on or after March 16, 2023.
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3. File online or by mail by July 13, 2026
Submit your Claim Form online at ChattanoogaHeartSettlement.com by July 13, 2026, or mail a paper Claim Form (postmarked by July 13, 2026) to: Settlement Administrator – 83322, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324.
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4. Receive your payment
Benefits will be distributed after the Court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. The Final Approval Hearing was scheduled for May 28, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET. No follow-up is required once your claim is submitted. Check ChattanoogaHeartSettlement.com for status updates.
Key dates
- Jun 12, 2026 Opt-out & objection deadline Passed
- Jul 13, 2026 Claim filing deadline Soon
- May 28, 2026 Final Fairness Hearing (2:00 p.m. ET, in person) Passed
- TBD after final approval Payments issued to claimants Pending
The Final Approval Hearing was scheduled for May 28, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Chattanooga Division, 900 Georgia Avenue, Suite 309, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Check ChattanoogaHeartSettlement.com for updates on approval status.
Where the money is going
The $3,750,000 Settlement Fund is divided into two pools: a $2,000,000 non-reversionary common fund for SSN Class members, and a $1,750,000 fund for the Total Class. Attorneys' fees (up to one-third, approximately $1,250,000), expenses (up to $50,000), and service awards ($4,500 x 6 class representatives = $27,000) are split proportionally between both funds before payments to class members.
All amounts are pending final court approval. The per-person cash payment for SSN Class members is calculated on a pro rata basis and will vary based on the total number of valid claims filed. The $5,500 documented-loss cap applies per class member. If valid claims for documented losses exceed the available fund, reimbursements will be reduced pro rata.
Common questions
How much money will I receive?
Benefits depend on which class you are in. All Total Class members (approximately 460,000 people) can claim: (1) reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket losses up to $5,500, and (2) two years of free Medical Monitoring (dark-web and credit monitoring, valued at approximately $120 per year). SSN Class members (approximately 287,000 people whose Social Security numbers were accessed) can also receive a pro rata cash payment from the $2,000,000 SSN Class fund. The exact cash amount depends on how many valid claims are filed.
Do I need to submit proof of purchase?
No documentation is required for the Medical Monitoring benefit or the SSN Class pro rata cash payment. Documentation is required only if you are claiming reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses. You will need third-party records such as bank statements, credit card statements, or identity protection service receipts showing costs incurred on or after March 16, 2023 that are fairly traceable to the data breach. Self-prepared documents alone are not sufficient.
What if I didn’t receive a notice?
You can still file a claim even if you did not receive a mailed notice. If you believe your information may have been affected by the Chattanooga Heart Institute data breach between March 8 and March 16, 2023, visit ChattanoogaHeartSettlement.com or call (833) 754-9442 to confirm eligibility and obtain a Claim Form.
Does staying in the class affect my right to sue later?
If you remain in the Settlement Class, you give up the right to sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against Memorial Heart Institute, LLC about the legal claims resolved by this settlement. The opt-out (exclusion) deadline was June 12, 2026. If you did not submit a timely Request for Exclusion, you are bound by the settlement terms regardless of whether you file a claim.
When will payments be sent out?
Benefits will be distributed after the Court grants Final Approval and any appeals are resolved. The Final Approval Hearing was scheduled for May 28, 2026. The appeal process can take additional time. The settlement website will be updated with distribution information once payments are scheduled.
Dapeer Law, P.A.
Consumer class action attorneys based in South Florida. We track settlements so you don’t have to.
Similar open settlements
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Dapeer Law, P.A. is not the administrator of this settlement and is not affiliated with Memorial Heart Institute, LLC, d/b/a The Chattanooga Heart Institute, Kroll Settlement Administration LLC (the Settlement Administrator), or Class Counsel Danielle L. Perry of Mason LLP and Bryan L. Bleichner of Chestnut Cambronne PA. The case is Cahill, et al. v. Memorial Heart Institute, LLC, d/b/a The Chattanooga Heart Institute, Case No. 1:23-cv-00168-CLC-CHS, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Southern Division at Chattanooga before TBD - verify before publishing. Class representatives are Stephen Cahill, Sheila Edwards, Sidney Jackson, Gisele Reed Allen, Jeff Bryden, and Elyn Painter. Chattanooga Heart Institute denies wrongdoing. This website is attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
