$600K Lee Enterprises Settlement Ends Class Action Lawsuit Over February 2025 Data Breach

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Lee Enterprises has agreed to a $600,000 settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit that alleged the media company failed to protect the confidential information of its current and former employees from a February 2025 data breach.

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The Lee Enterprises class action settlement received preliminary approval from the court on January 23, 2026 and covers all individuals identified as being among those impacted by the data breach, including all individuals who were sent notice from the company of the data security incident.

Per court documents, approximately 39,779 individuals may have been affected by the February 2025 breach.

The court-approved website for the Lee Enterprises data breach settlement can be found at LeeEnterprisesSettlement.com.

According to the website, Lee Enterprises settlement class members who file a valid, timely claim form have multiple options for reimbursement.

Class members who submit with their claim form documented proof of ordinary or extraordinary losses are eligible to receive compensation for up to $1,000 in reimbursement for ordinary losses or up to $3,000 for extraordinary losses.

The settlement agreement states that class members must submit documentation to receive compensation for ordinary losses incurred after June 1, 2025 related to the data breach. Court documents indicate that this benefit covers bank fees, fees to obtain credit reports, credit monitoring, identity theft insurance and miscellaneous expenses like postage and travel.

As part of their claim for ordinary losses, class members may also receive compensation for up to four hours of lost time spent responding to the data breach at a rate of $20 per hour, which the agreement adds is subject to the $1,000 cap for ordinary losses.

Lee Enterprises class members seeking reimbursement for extraordinary losses must submit documentation with their claim form demonstrating that the loss is an actual monetary loss incurred after June 1, 2025 and is not already covered by another settlement reimbursement option, the agreement states. Further, class members must be able to show that they made reasonable efforts to avoid or mitigate their losses.

In lieu of payment for ordinary or extraordinary losses, the settlement site reports that class members may instead file a claim to receive a one-time, pro-rated cash payment estimated to be $35. The amount of this payment, the agreement outlines, will be determined based on the total number of valid claims filed and what remains in the net settlement fund after payment of attorneys’ fees, settlement administration costs, lead plaintiff service awards and all other settlement benefits.

Lee Enterprises settlement class members may choose to receive their cash payout via check or electronic payment; the agreement notes that all checks must be cashed within 120 days of issuance before expiration.

In addition to any monetary benefits, all settlement class members may also file a claim form to enroll in one free year of CyEx Financial Shield Total, which the settlement site says includes three-bureau credit monitoring and financial fraud insurance.

To file a Lee Enterprises settlement claim form online, class members can head to this page and log in using the unique ID and PIN found on their received copy of the settlement notice. Alternatively, class members can download a PDF of the claim form from the settlement site to print, fill out and return by mail to the address of the settlement administrator listed on the third page of the document.

All Lee Enterprises data breach claim forms must be submitted online or by mail by May 26, 2026.

Finally, as part of the settlement, Lee Enterprises has also agreed to enhance its security measures to better protect its systems, including expanded third-party security monitoring, identity and access management, improved password management systems, new firewalls and improvements in policies and procedures.

The court will determine whether to grant final approval to the Lee Enterprises data breach settlement following a hearing on June 30, 2026. Compensation will begin to be distributed to class members only after final approval is granted and any appeals are resolved.

The Lee Enterprises class action lawsuit alleged that the Iowa-based newspaper and media company failed to implement reasonable cybersecurity safeguards to protect the personal information of its current and former employees, which led to a data breach in or around February 2025. Per court documents, the private information that may have been compromised in the breach includes names, Social Security numbers and medical information.

Learn all about the legal process: What is a class action lawsuit?