Eligible Canadians could receive money from a class action settlement after a negotiated settlement was approved by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
According to a news release from KPMG Law, the class action was commenced after a December 2019 cyber-attack on LifeLabs’ database of customer personal health information.
“The Action alleged that LifeLabs was negligent in its protection of that data. LifeLabs denied all such allegations,” reads the release.
Around 8.6 million people had their information (such as provincial health cards) stolen by hackers. Confidential test requisitions or test results of 131,957 people were also stolen.
The representative plaintiffs in the case are Alita Marie Carter, Anna Belle Tharani, and Albert Ototé.
How much will you be paid?
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If you’re eligible and submit a valid claim form before the deadline, you could receive $50 to a maximum of $150. Court-approved legal fees, disbursements, and taxes will be deducted from that amount.
“The precise amount to be paid per person will be determined based on the total number of claims filed,” states the release.
Are you eligible?
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You’re considered an eligible member in this class action if you were a LifeLabs customer on or before December 17, 2019, and living in Canada as of October 25, 2023.
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice states that class members are “all persons in Canada who are living as of the date of Settlement Approval who is a current or former user of LifeLabs services as part of the data breach publicly disclosed on December 17, 2019, excluding any officer, director, or executive level employee of the Defendants.”
Here’s how to submit a claim
The claim form (lifelabssettlement.kpmg.ca)
Those eligible can submit a claim starting now and no later than April 6, 2024. You also need to have a valid provincial health card number.
There are three ways to submit a claim.
First, you can fill out a form online here — it’s also the best way to ensure that your online claim will be processed quickly if approved.
Second, you can email a completed claim form to the claims administrator at [email protected].
The third option is to mail a claim form by ordinary mail.
How and when will you receive your payment?
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You can choose to receive your payment by Interac e-transfer or by cheque. However, a $2 processing fee will be deducted from payments by cheque.
As for when you expect to be paid, the money will be sent “after the claim deadline (April 6, 2024) to persons who have been verified to be Class Members by the Claims Administrator and who have submitted a valid Claim Form on time.”
For more information about the class action settlement, you can call the dedicated bilingual call centre at 1-833-494-0108 (open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm) to head to lifelabssettlement.kpmg.ca.
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