AG Jeff Landry, Fellow Attorneys General Secure $600 Million from Equifax in Largest Data Breach Settlement in History
Equifax Settlement Includes Up to $425 Million in Consumer Restitution Following Investigation into 2017 Data Breach
BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry today announced that a coalition of 50 Attorneys General has reached a settlement with Equifax as the result of an investigation into a massive 2017 data breach. The settlement is the largest data breach enforcement action in history and includes a Consumer Restitution Fund of up to $425 million, a $175 million payment to the states, and injunctive relief that contains a significant financial commitment.
“Equifax failed to maintain a reasonable security system, enabling hackers to penetrate its systems and expose the data of 56 percent of American adults,” said General Landry. “I am proud of our office’s work to get justice for Louisiana’s consumers and all Americans impacted by this historic breach of consumer data.”
Following the 2017 breach that exposed social security numbers, names, dates of birth, addresses, credit card numbers, and/or driver’s license numbers – the coalition of Attorneys General launched a multi-state investigation. General Landry’s Office served on the Executive Committee of that investigation.
· reorganizing its data security team;
Equifax also agreed to pay the states a total of $175 million, which includes $3,073,524.95 for Louisiana.
Consumers who are eligible for redress will be required to submit claims online or by mail. Paper claims forms can also be requested over the phone. Consumers will be able to obtain information about the settlement, check their eligibility to file a claim, and file a claim on the Equifax Settlement Breach online registry. To receive email updates regarding the launch of this online registry, consumers can sign up at www.ftc.gov/equifax. Consumers can also call the settlement administrator at 1-833-759-2982 for more information. The program to pay restitution to consumers will be conducted in connection with settlements that have been reached in the multi-district class actions filed against Equifax, as well as settlements that were reached with the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The Attorneys General participating in this settlement are from Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.