Pacific Guardian Life Insurance $2M Data Breach Settlement

Consumers whom Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Co. Ltd. notified that an August 2023 cybersecurity incident may have compromised their private information could be eligible to claim up to $2,020 from a class action settlement.

Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Co. Ltd. agreed to pay $2 million to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging a data breach exposed sensitive personal information, including names, Social Security numbers, financial account details, payment card information, dates of birth and medical information. The lawsuit accused the company of negligence, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment, invasion of privacy and violations of Hawaii law.

Who can file a claim?

Class members must have received a notice from Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Co. Ltd. informing them an August 2023 cybersecurity incident may have compromised their private information.

The settlement excludes all federal, state or local government entities and their subdivisions.

How much can class members receive?

Settlement class members can claim one or more of the following benefits:

• Expense reimbursement: Up to $2,000 for documented, unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses directly related to the cybersecurity incident. All expenses must have been incurred after Aug. 25, 2023, and before the settlement’s effective date. Eligible expenses include but are not limited to:
• Costs to obtain credit reports
• Fees for credit freezes
• Fees for card replacement
• Late fees, over-limit fees or interest and fees on payday loans
• Bank or credit card fees
• Postage, mileage and other incidental expenses
• Costs for up to one year of credit monitoring or identity theft insurance

• Alternative cash payment: Class members who do not wish to claim expense reimbursement may claim an alternative cash payment of up to $50.
• California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act payment: Class members who resided in California at the time of the data breach may claim an additional alternative cash payment of up to $20.
• Credit monitoring: All class members may claim two years of free credit monitoring regardless of which cash benefit they select.

How to claim a class action payment

Class members can file the online claim form or download, print, complete and mail the PDF claim form to the settlement administrator. The claim deadline is Dec. 21, 2025.

Settlement administrator’s mailing address: Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Cybersecurity Incident Claims Administrator, PO Box 2350, Portland, OR 97208-2350

What proof or documentation required to submit a claim?

• To claim expense reimbursement, class members must provide receipts, statements or other non-self-prepared documents showing the expense and its connection to the incident. Self-prepared documents alone (such as handwritten receipts) are not sufficient, but class members can submit them as supporting material.
• To claim the alternative cash payment, California CMIA payment and/or credit monitoring, class members only need to select the appropriate option.

All class members must provide the unique ID from the settlement notice they received. Online claimants must also provide the PIN from the settlement.

Payout options

• Paper check by mail
• Digital payment (details provided after claim approval)

$2 million settlement fund settlement

The $2,000,000 settlement fund includes:

• Settlement administration costs: To be determined
• Attorneys’ fees and expenses: Up to $550,000
• Service awards to class representatives: $2,500 each
• Credit monitoring costs: Dependent on number of valid claims
• Payments to eligible class members: Remainder of the fund

Important dates

• Deadline for exclusion: Nov. 21, 2025
• Deadline to submit a claim form: Dec. 21, 2025
• Final Fairness Hearing: Jan. 13, 2026

When is the Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Co. Ltd. settlement payout date?

The settlement administrator will issue payments approximately 30 to 45 days after it resolves any appeals and the court grants final approval of the settlement.

Why is there a class action settlement?

The class action lawsuit alleged Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Co. Ltd. failed to adequately protect customer data, resulting in a cybersecurity incident in August 2023. The plaintiffs claimed the company was negligent and violated various laws by not preventing the breach.

Pacific Guardian denies any wrongdoing but agreed to settle to avoid the risks, costs and uncertainty of continued litigation.

Sources

1. Class notice
2. Claim form
3. Settlement agreement
4. Settlement FAQ