On October 21, 2022, Judge Roth in the District Court of Harris County, Texas granted the final approval in a class action settlement against Gastroenterology Consultants, P.A. (“GCPA”). This decision immediately followed a hearing with attorneys from both parties present. The hearing came weeks after Mason LLP was able to come to an agreement with GCPA after continuous negotiations. Counsel from Mason LLP traveled to Houston, TX to represent Plaintiffs and Class member’s best interests and succeeded in doing so. The details of the settlement involved allegations from Plaintiff’s petition that GCPA failed to safeguard and protect the personally identifiable information (“PII”) and/or protected health information (“PHI”) of Settlement Class Members, which caused injuries to Plaintiff and the Class.
The Settlement Agreement terms are as follows:
- A process for Settlement Class Members to submit claims for compensation of up to $500 per Class Member in Ordinary Expense Reimbursements and Lost Time, and up to $4,000 per Class Member in Extraordinary Expense Reimbursements that will be evaluated by the Court-approved Claims Administrator.
- A process for Settlement Class Members to submit claims for enrollment in 18-months of credit monitoring services;
- Equitable relief in the form of data security enhancements designed to better protect Settlement Class Members’ PII and PHI.
- GCPA to pay all Notice and Claims Administration costs.
- GCPA to pay a Court-approved amount for attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses of Settlement Class Counsel of $150,000.
- GCPA to pay a Service Award of $2,500 to the Representative Plaintiff.
