Columbus County, N.C. (WECT) – A proposed settlement has been reached for patients whose personal information was compromised in a 2023 data breaches.
The Columbus Regional Health Care System (CRHS) has agreed to a $1.17 million settlement after a December 28 investigation concluded that a violation occurred between May 19 and May 21, 2023.
“It has been discovered that the data incident violated individual and personally identifiable information stored in CRHS files containing information relating to their name, address, date of birth, social security number, medical history and health insurance,” the settlement website said.
Nearly 132,800 patients were affected by the violation, according to the settlement.
Anyone affected can receive up to $5,000 unrefundable, documented out-of-pocket compensation for violations. They may also charge Prota cash payments, which are around $50 per claimant.
The request form must be submitted here or mailed by April 2nd.
The settlement is not related to the lawsuit filed in September 2024 by a former patient. According to court documents, the complaint filed by Brandi Todd was dismissed in February 2025. The judge said Todd was unable to show justification for not serving the defendant (the Columbus area health system) in a subpoena within 90 days.
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