$117.5M Comcast settlement offers payouts after 2023 data breach: What to know

CHICAGO (WGN) — Cable and internet service provider Comcast has reached a $117.5 million settlement after a major data breach was found to have exposed customers’ personal information in October 2023.

The settlement is a result of a class action lawsuit that accused Comcast of failing to protect sensitive data during the cybersecurity attack or properly notify impacted customers, as well as violating multiple laws.

The company has denied any wrongdoing, but agreed to a proposed settlement totalling $117.5 million.

Not all Comcast customers will qualify, however. According to the settlement administrators, you need to have been notified in December 2023 that your data may have been compromised in the aforementioned breach.

You should have received another notice recently, likely to your email, with a class member ID. You’ll need that number to file a claim form.

Those who qualify can submit a claim for reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket expenses due to the breach. You will need to prove that you incurred expenses or losses due to identity theft or fraud, falsified tax returns, or “other alleged misuse” because of your information being accessed in the leak. Costs could be related to credit freezes, reports, and monitoring, as well as expenses related to having to use a notary, fax documents, pay for postage, or mileage.

In addition to those expenses, you can also file for lost time after “dealing with fraud, identity theft, or other misuse of your personal information that you believe was ‘fairly traceable'” to the breach. According to the settlement, you could receive a rate of $30 per hour for up to five hours of lost time.

Lost time and expenses settlement payments are capped at $10,000, administrators say.

If you do not have documentation, you can opt for an alternative payment of up to $50, but that amount could change depending on how many people file a claim.

Affected customers can also qualify for identity defense and restoration services.

To receive a payment, a claim must be submitted online or by mail by August 14, 2026. Payments will then be made if the settlement is approved by the court. A final approval hearing is scheduled for July 7, 2026, when a judge will decide whether to approve the settlement.

Comcast customers also have other options. They can choose to do nothing, meaning they will not get compensated but also give up the right to sue Comcast over the incident. Another route is excluding yourself, which allows you to pursue your own legal action. Or you can object to the settlement terms.

Additional details can be found on the settlement website.

In October 2023, the personal information of more than 35 million customers of Comcast-owned Xfinity was accessed during a major data breach. Xfinity said in December of that year that it was “not aware of any customer data being leaked anywhere, nor of any attacks on our customers.”

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