$500K MERS Missouri Goodwill Settlement Ends Data Breach Lawsuit Over March 2023 Cyberattack

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MERS Missouri Goodwill Industries has agreed to pay a $500,000 settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit over a March 2023 data breach that compromised the private information of current and former employees.

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The court-authorized website for the MERS Missouri Goodwill data breach settlement can be found at MERSMOGoodwillSettlement.com.

According to the settlement agreement, the deal covers all United States residents whose personal information was impacted by the data breach (which occurred between approximately March 10 and March 13, 2023), including those who received notice of the incident.

The MERS Missouri Goodwill class action lawsuit estimates that the cyberattack affected roughly 70,390 people.

Eligible class members must submit a valid claim form online or by mail by July 7, 2025 to receive benefits from the MERS Missouri Goodwill class action settlement.

Head to this page to file a settlement claim form online. You will need to provide the unique notice ID and PIN located on the personalized settlement notice you should have received in the mail.

Instead of filing online, class members can download and print out a PDF claim form or contact the settlement administrator to request a paper copy to fill out and return by mail.

As part of the deal, class members who submit a timely, valid claim form are eligible to receive reimbursement of up to $500 per person for “ordinary” out-of-pocket losses that were incurred as a result of the data breach and are supported by documentation, the MERS Missouri Goodwill settlement website says. Per the site, examples of these expenses may include unreimbursed costs linked to fraud or identity theft; fees for attorney, accountant or credit repair services; certain credit monitoring costs; or miscellaneous expenses such as fax, postage, mileage and more.

In addition, consumers can file a claim to receive compensation for up to four hours of lost time spent handling issues related to the incident, at a rate of $25 per hour, subject to the $500 limit for ordinary losses, the website states.

The settlement will also provide up to $5,000 to each class member who submits a valid claim with documentation for unreimbursed “extraordinary” expenses that were “more likely than not” caused by the data breach, court documents relay. Qualifying expenses must have been incurred after the incident and must not already be covered by the aforementioned settlement benefits, the website adds.

Alternatively, class members may choose to receive a $50 cash payout in lieu of making a claim for the reimbursement benefits listed above, the site shares.

Moreover, per the website, all consumers can submit a claim for two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection services at no cost and in addition to the cash benefits.

The settlement agreement notes that MERS Missouri Goodwill settlement benefits may be reduced on a pro rata basis if needed so as not to exceed the $500,000 settlement fund.

Lastly, as part of the deal, MERS Missouri Goodwill has agreed to spend at least $300,000 on data security improvements beginning this year, the agreement says.

The court will determine whether to grant final approval to the terms of the MERS Missouri Goodwill settlement at a hearing on July 10, 2025. According to court documents, settlement payments will be issued to eligible class members “as soon as possible” if and when the court ultimately approves the deal, and after any appeals are resolved.

The data breach lawsuit against MERS Missouri Goodwill alleged that negligent cybersecurity on the part of the St. Louis-based nonprofit resulted in the theft of highly sensitive information stored on its computer network.

Per the case, the data breach exposed employees’ full names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and medical diagnosis information, putting them at an increased risk of identity theft and fraud at the hands of cybercriminals.

Head to ClassAction.org’s settlements page for a complete list of data breach settlements.