Frequently Asked Questions

A Court authorized this notice because you have the right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit and all of your rights and options before the Court decides to grant Final Approval of the Settlement.

This notice explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, your rights, what benefits are available, who is eligible for them, and how to get them. The lawsuit is Kidwell v. Hypertension Nephrology Associates, P.C., Case No. 2024-15211, Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (the “Action”). The person who filed this lawsuit is called the “Plaintiff” and/or “Class Representative” and the company sued, Hypertension-Nephrology Associates, P.C., is called the “Defendant.”

Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit against HNA. Plaintiffs allege that on January 20, 2024, HNA experienced a ransomware attack in which a criminal group accessed HNA’s computer systems and potentially compromised individuals’ personally identifiable information and private health information (“Private Information”) belonging to current and former patients (“Data Incident”).

HNA denies these allegations and denies any wrongdoing or liability whatsoever. The Court has not decided who is right. Instead, Plaintiffs and HNA have agreed to a settlement to avoid the risk, cost, and time of further litigation.

In a class action, one or more people (called plaintiff(s) or class representative(s)) sue on behalf of all people who have similar legal claims. Together, all these people are called a “class” or “class members.” If the plaintiffs and defendant reach a settlement, the court resolves the issues for all class members via the settlement, except for those class members who timely opt out (exclude themselves) from the settlement.

The proposed Class Representative in this lawsuit is Plaintiff Patricia Kidwell.

Plaintiffs and Defendant do not agree about the legal claims made in the lawsuit. The lawsuit has not gone to trial, and the Court has not decided in favor of Plaintiffs or Defendant. Instead, Plaintiffs and Defendant have agreed to settle the lawsuit. The Class Representative believes the Settlement is best for all individuals in the Settlement Class because of the benefits available to the Settlement Class and the risks and uncertainty associated with continuing the lawsuit.

Settlement Class means all residents of the United States who were sent notice that their personal information was accessed, stolen, or compromised as a result of the Data Incident.

Yes. The Settlement Class specifically excludes: (1) HNA and its respective officers and directors; (2) all members of the Settlement Class who timely and validly request exclusion from the Settlement Class; (3) the Judge and Magistrate Judge assigned to evaluate the fairness of this settlement, the Court’s staff and the Court’s immediate family members; and (4) any other Person found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be guilty under criminal law of initiating, causing, aiding, or abetting the Data Incident or who pleads nolo contendere to any such charge.

If you are still not sure whether you are a Settlement Class Member, you may go to the Settlement Website at www.HNADataSettlement.com, call the Settlement Administrator’s toll-free telephone number at 1 (844) 697-7316, or send an email to info@HNADataSettlement.com.

If you are a Settlement Class Member you may timely submit a valid Claim for either a Cash Award or a Documented Loss Payment:

(1) Cash Award:

You may elect to receive Cash Award. No documentation is required to make this Claim. The amount of the Cash Award will be calculated by dividing the Post Loss Payment Net Settlement Fund (the Post Loss Payment Net Settlement Fund is what is remaining after payment of all approved Credit Monitoring and Documented Losses Claims, Settlement Administration costs, Service Awards, and Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s Fees and Expenses) by the total number of valid Claims that elect a Cash award.

(2) Documented Loss Payment:

All Settlement Class Members that do not elect a Cash Award may submit a Claim for a Settlement Payment up to $5,000.00 per Settlement Cass Member by submitting reasonable documentation of losses related to the Data Incident.

You will be required to submit reasonable documentation supporting the losses. This means documents that were created at the time of the loss or prepared by a third party or the Settlement Class Member supporting a claim for expenses paid. Non-exhaustive examples of reasonable documentation include telephone records, correspondence including emails, letters or receipts. Personal certifications, declarations, or affidavits from the Settlement Class Member do not constitute reasonable documentation but may be included to provide clarification, context, or support for other submitted reasonable documentation.

In addition, each Settlement Class Member who submits a valid and timely Claim Form may elect to receive two (2) years of Credit Monitoring and Insurance Services regardless of whether they also make a Claim for a Settlement Payment.

Unless you opt out of the Settlement, you are choosing to remain in the Settlement Class. If the Settlement is approved and becomes final, all Court orders will apply to you and legally bind you. You will not be able to sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Released Parties, including Defendant, about the legal issues in this lawsuit that are released by this Settlement. The specific rights you are giving up are called “Released Claims.”

The Settlement Agreement Section 1.28 describes the Released Claims and the Release, in necessary legal terminology, so please read this section carefully. The Settlement Agreement is available here or in the public Court records on file in this lawsuit. For questions regarding the Release or Released Claims and what the language in the Settlement Agreement means, you can also contact Class Counsel listed in Question 15 for free, or you can talk to your own lawyer at your own expense.

To receive any of the benefits described in Question 8, you must submit a valid Claim, postmarked or submitted online by January 20, 2026. Claim Forms may be submitted online here or printed from the Settlement Website and mailed to the Settlement Administrator at the address on the Claim Form. The quickest way to submit a Claim is online. Claim Forms are also available by calling 1 (844) 697-7316 or by writing to:

HNA Data Incident Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 1348
Baton Rouge, LA 70821

Claim Forms must be submitted online or by mail postmarked by January 20, 2026.

If you change your mailing address or email address after you submit a Claim Form, it is your responsibility to inform the Settlement Administrator of your updated information. The easiest way to update your information is via the contact update page on the Settlement website. You may also notify the Settlement Administrator of any changes by calling 1 (844) 697-7316, by writing to info@HNADataSettlement.com, or to:

HNA Data Incident Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 1348
Baton Rouge, LA 70821

If you submit a timely and valid Claim, payment will be made to you by the Settlement Administrator after the Settlement is approved by the Court and becomes final.

It may take time for the Settlement to be approved and become final. Please be patient and check www.HNADataSettlement.com for updates.

If you submit a valid Claim on time, and the Settlement and your Claim is approved, you will receive payment using the method you choose, either an electronic payment or a paper check. Several electronic payment options will be available, or you can choose to receive a check by mail. Make sure to provide a current and complete email address. If you choose a paper check, it will be sent to the physical address you include on your Claim Form.

Yes, the Court has appointed Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP as Class Counsel lawyer to represent you and the Settlement Class for the purposes of this Settlement. You may hire your own lawyer at your own cost and expense if you want someone other than Class Counsel to represent you in this lawsuit.

Class Counsel will file a motion asking the Court to award attorneys’ fees of up to 33.33% of the $625,000 Settlement Fund, plus reimbursement of costs. The Court may award less than the amount requested. Class Counsel will also request approval of a Service Award in an amount not to exceed $2,500 for the Class Representative. If awarded by the Court, the Settlement Administrator will pay attorneys’ fees, costs, and service award out of the Settlement Fund.

Class Counsel’s motion for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Service Award will be made available on the Settlement Website here before the deadline for you to object to or opt out of the Settlement.

To opt out of the Settlement, you must timely mail written notice of a request to opt out. The written notice must include:

(1) Your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if any);
(2) A statement clearly indicating your request to be excluded from the Settlement Class; and
(3) Your physical signature as a Settlement Class member;

The opt out request must be mailed to the Settlement Administrator at the following address, and be postmarked no later than December 8, 2025:

HNA Data Incident Settlement Administrator
Exclusions
PO Box 1348
Baton Rouge, LA 70821

You cannot opt out by telephone or by email.

No. If you opt out, you will not be entitled to receive any Settlement Class Member benefits, but you will not be bound by any judgment in this lawsuit. You can only get Settlement Class Member benefits if you stay in the Settlement and submit a valid Claim.

No. Unless you opt out, you give up any right to sue Defendant and other Released Parties for the legal claims this Settlement resolves and Releases relating to the Data Incident. You must opt out of the lawsuit to start or continue with your own lawsuit or be part of any other lawsuit against Defendant or other Released Parties. If you have a pending lawsuit, speak to your lawyer in that case immediately.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you can tell the Court you do not agree with all or any part of the Settlement and/or Class Counsel’s motion for Attorneys’ Fees and Costs.

To object, you must file a timely, written objection stating that you object in Kidwell v. Hypertension Nephrology Associates, P.C., Case No. 2024-15211 (Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, PA). If your objection is submitted by mail, it must be postmarked by December 8, 2025.

The objection must also include all of the following information:

(1) Your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if any);
(2) The case name and docket number—Kidwell v. Hypertension Nephrology Associates, P.C., Case No. 2024-15211 (Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, PA)
(3) A written statement of all grounds for the objection, accompanied by any legal support for the objection known to you or your lawyer;
(4) The identity of any and all counsel representing you in connection with the objection;
(5) A statement whether you and/or your counsel will appear at the Final Fairness Hearing, and;
(6) Your signature or the signature of the your duly authorized attorney or other duly authorized representative (if any) representing you in connection with the objection.

To be timely, written notice of an objection in the appropriate form must be filed with the Court by December 8, 2025, with copies to the following address:

Any Settlement Class Member who fails to comply with the requirements for objecting detailed above will waive and forfeit any and all rights they may have to appear separately and/or to object to the Settlement Agreement and will be bound by all the terms of the Settlement Agreement and by all proceedings, orders, and judgments in the Litigation.

Objecting is simply telling the Court you do not like something about the Settlement or requested attorneys’ fees and expenses. You can object only if you stay in the Settlement Class (meaning you do not opt out of the Settlement). Opting out of the Settlement is telling the Court you do not want to be part of the Settlement Class or the Settlement. If you opt out, you cannot object to the Settlement.

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on February 18, 2026, at 9:00 AM EST to decide whether to approve the Settlement. At this hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and decide whether to approve the Settlement, Class Counsel’s Application for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Service Award. If there are objections, the Court will consider them. The Court will also listen to Settlement Class Members who have asked to speak at the hearing.

Note: The date and time of the Final Approval Hearing are subject to change. The Court may also decide to hold the hearing in person. Any change will be posted at www.HNADataSettlement.com

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. However, you are welcome to attend at your own expense. If you mail an objection, you do not have to attend the Final Approval Hearing to speak about it. As long as you file or mail your written objection on time, the Court will consider it.

Yes, as long as you do not opt out, you can (but do not have to) participate and speak for yourself at the Final Approval Hearing. This is called making an appearance. You also can have your own lawyer speak for you, but you will have to pay for the lawyer yourself.

If you want to appear, or if you want your own lawyer instead of Class Counsel to speak for you at the Final Approval Hearing, you must follow all of the procedures for objecting to the Settlement listed in Question 20 above—and specifically include a statement whether you and your lawyer will appear at the Final Approval Hearing.

If you are a Settlement Class Member and you do nothing, you will not receive any Settlement benefits, and you will give up rights explained in the “Opting Out of the Settlement” section of this notice, including your right to start a lawsuit, continue with a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against any of the Released Parties, including Defendant, about the legal issues in this lawsuit that are released by the Settlement Agreement relating to the Data Incident.

This Notice summarizes the proposed Settlement. Complete details are provided in the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available here, by calling 1 (844) 697-7316, by writing to info@HNADataSettlement.com or:

HNA Data Incident Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 1348
Baton Rouge, LA 70821

PLEASE DO NOT TELEPHONE THE COURT OR THE COURT’S CLERK OFFICE REGARDING THIS NOTICE.