Nearly $3.1M Washington State Auditor Settlement Ends Lawsuit Over December 2020 Data Breach

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The Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO) has agreed to pay a nearly $3.1 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit over a December 2020 data breach that allegedly stemmed from SAO vendor Accellion’s “antiquated” file transfer service.

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The court-authorized website for the Washington SAO data breach settlement can be found at SAOFTASettlement.com.

The settlement agreement, which received preliminary approval from the court on June 26, 2025, covers a class of approximately 1.6 million United States residents who were notified by the Washington SAO or its authorized representative about the December 2020 data security incident.

To receive benefits from the class action settlement, eligible class members must submit a valid claim form by October 24, 2025.

Washington SAO settlement claim forms can be filed online on this page. Consumers who prefer to submit by mail may download a PDF claim form to print, complete and return to the settlement administrator.

Claim submission requires a unique settlement claim ID, which can be found on the settlement notice issued to consumers by mail or email.

According to the official Washington SAO settlement website, class members can file a claim form to receive up to $5,000 per person for documented, unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses that are “fairly traceable” to the data breach and were incurred between December 24, 2020 and the date of claim submission. Per the site, qualifying losses may include expenses linked to identity theft; accountant, attorney, notary or bank fees; phone or data charges; costs for postage, copying, faxing or travel; and other miscellaneous expenses.

In addition, class members may submit a claim for compensation for up to three hours of lost time spent handling issues related to the incident, at a rate of $30 per hour and capped at $90 each, the website says.

In lieu of the aforementioned monetary benefits, consumers can file a claim form to receive a pro-rated share of the $3,085,152.73 settlement fund, after deductions are made for valid out-of-pocket loss and lost time claims, administrative costs, attorneys’ fees and service awards, the site states. The payout amount each eligible class member may receive will depend on the approved amount of the individual’s claim and the total value of all approved claims, the settlement website explains.

A hearing is set for October 28, 2025, at which time the court will decide whether to grant final approval to the terms of the settlement. Washington SAO class action settlement payments will be issued to eligible class members only if the deal is ultimately approved and becomes final, the website relays.

According to the lawsuit against the Washington SAO, the state government office had used Accellion’s service to transfer consumers’ highly sensitive personal information despite being aware that the “aging” product was allegedly “no longer secure.”

The data breach lawsuit explained that cybercriminals were able to exploit certain vulnerabilities in the file transfer service and gain access to confidential files, including records of over 1.6 million unemployment insurance claims between 2017 and 2020.

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