DRIVERS only have days left to claim a check worth up to $5,250 in a major settlement, as long as they purchased a vehicle from a certain dealership in 2022.
Less than a week remains before car owners file a claim in a settlement ordering Planet Nissan, a new and used Nissan dealership in Las Vegas, Nevada, to pay customers for data breaches.
The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed against the dealership that alleged that around 1,000 customers had confidential information leaked in June 2022.
The Nevada utility was accused of failing to protect its customers with “reasonable cybersecurity measures” related to the alleged breach.
Planet Nissan has denied any wrongdoing in the case, however, both sides agreed to a settlement to “avoid the cost, disruption and distraction of further litigation,” according to the settlement website.
The total amount of the settlement that Planet Nissan will have to pay was not disclosed.
Those eligible for a one-time cash payment from the settlement should have been notified of the data incident.
The notice would have informed customers that they may have been affected by the alleged breach.
Qualified individuals can take home more than $5,000 due to various losses.
Specifically, settlement members can receive up to $500 for ordinary losses such as unrefunded bank fees, communication charges, credit expenses and travel costs.
Affected customers are also eligible to receive up to four hours of lost time, which was denied as time a customer spent dealing with the data breach between June 30, 2022 and July 1, 2024.
This will be paid at a rate of $17.50 per hour and is considered part of normal losses.
Additionally, qualified individuals who have “documented extraordinary losses,” such as identity theft or fraud, can take home up to $4,750.
To receive this payment, customers must provide proof that they attempted to resolve the issue and that it occurred between June 30, 2022 and July 1, 2024.
All members of the agreement will also be eligible to claim two years of free credit monitoring services as well as $1 million in identity theft insurance after submitting a valid claim.
As part of the settlement, the utility agreed to increase its data security measures to further protect its customers and members of the settlement class.
Anyone who has questions about whether they are included in the settlement can contact 1-888-477-1779.
The US Sun previously reported that drivers who were not affected by the data breach are being warned not to file a complaint.
What is a class action settlement?
Class action lawsuits offer groups of people, or “classes,” a way to come together in court.
These lawsuits are often filed by one or a few people who allege that a company or other entity has harmed a large group of people.
When a lawsuit becomes a class action, it extends to all “class members,” or people who may have similar claims to those who filed the lawsuit.
Companies often settle class actions – offering payment to class members who typically waive their right to pursue legal action by accepting money.
These payment agreements often include statements from the defendant denying wrongdoing. Companies tend to settle class actions to avoid the costs of further litigation.
Pollution, discrimination or false advertising are some examples of what can lead to a class action lawsuit at a company’s door.
Doing so may put other applicants at risk.
Those who qualify only have until July 1 to submit a claim for benefits.
A final payment approval hearing will be held on July 17.
When applying, eligible customers will need to provide proof of damage for their benefits to be approved.
This may include documents such as bank statements, account statements, invoices, credit reports, police reports or any other information relating to losses caused by the data incident.
The settlement claim form can be found here.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
