A pediatric dental surgery center in Tulare, Calif., agreed to a class action lawsuit settlement to resolve claims that it failed to protect patient data, according to a Jan. 14 report from Top Class Actions.
Hapy Bear Surgery Center discovered a data security incident on or about Dec. 27, 2023. The surgery center reported the breach in April 2024.
Patient information that was compromised in the data breach includes names, Social Security numbers, health insurance information and medical records, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs in the suit claim the surgery center could have prevented the incident by implementing reasonable cybersecurity measures.
In the settlement, the company did not admit to any wrongdoing, but agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to resolve the allegations.
Members of the class action can receive up to $8,050 for out-of-pocket expenses related to the data incident.
As part of the agreement, Hapy Bear Surgery Center also agreed to enhance its data security measures.
The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for Feb. 24, the report said.