On February 20, 2026, Judge Marcella O. McLaughlin of the San Diego County Superior Court granted final approval of the class action settlement in G.W., et al. v. San Diego Unified School District, Case No. 37-2023-00035972-CU-BT-CTL. The effective date of that settlement has now passed, and the settlement is final.
The settlement resolves claims arising from a ransomware attack on the District’s network discovered on or about October 25, 2022, which may have compromised personally identifiable information and protected health information belonging to SDUSD students and employees.
What the Settlement Provides
Eligible class members who submitted a timely and valid claim form with appropriate documentation is to receive:
- Reimbursement of up to $500 for documented, unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses fairly traceable to the data breach, including credit report and credit freeze fees, card replacement fees, bank and late fees, interest on payday loans taken because of the incident, and postage or mileage for responding to the breach;
- Compensation for lost time at $20 per hour for up to four hours spent monitoring accounts, reversing fraudulent charges, or otherwise responding to the data incident (a minimum of one full hour is required);
- Reimbursement of up to $2,000 for extraordinary, documented monetary losses more likely than not caused by the data breach and not otherwise covered;
- One year of identity theft protection and credit monitoring from CyEx, including one-bureau monitoring and alerts, in addition to credit monitoring previously offered after the incident; and
- An alternative $40 cash payment for class members who were minors as of May 5, 2025, in lieu of the other benefits, claimed by a parent or guardian.
Class members could elect the credit monitoring benefit even if they were not eligible for a monetary recovery. Attorneys’ fees, costs, service awards, notice, and claims administration are being paid separately by the District and did not reduce the compensation available to class members.
What Happens Next
With that settlement now final, the settlement administrator, Simpluris, will begin processing timely and valid approved claims and issuing payments to eligible class members. Claimants who submitted valid claim forms by the January 13, 2026 deadline do not need to take any further action at this time. It is currently estimated payments will be made in May 2026. Eligible class members who provided banking information will be paid electronically unless they elected to receive a paper check.
As with any class action settlement, claimants should allow time for this process to run its course. Class members with questions about the status of a claim, or who need to update their contact or payment information, can reach the settlement administrator through the official settlement website at www.sdusddatasettlement.com, by email at info@sdusddatasettlement.com, or by calling (833) 417-4899. The settlement FAQ is available at www.sdusddatasettlement.com/faq. Alan Mansfield of the Consumer Law Group of California and of counsel to Whatley Kallas, LLP served as court appointed lead counsel along with Doyle APC; April M. Strauss, APC; Hamner Law Offices, APLC; and Levine & Maybaum LLP. CLGCA represents California consumers in data breach, privacy, and other class action matters in state and federal courts throughout California.