People who were sent notice by Brandt Equities, LP that their information may have been involved in its November 2025 data incident may qualify to claim up to $3,500 in documented losses, up to $80 for lost time and two years of credit monitoring from the Brandt Equities data breach class action settlement. Claims close December 17, 2026, and there is no flat cash payment without documented losses or lost time.
Current Status
Claims are open on the official settlement website. Online claims must be submitted by December 17, 2026, and the deadline to opt out or object is November 17, 2026. The District Court for Cass County, North Dakota has authorized notice and will hold the final approval hearing on January 14, 2027 at 1:30 p.m. Central Time. No payment date has been announced; payments come only after final approval.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
Brandt Equities, LP agreed to settle Andrews, et al. v. Brandt Equities, LP, Case No. 09-2026-CV-01466, a class action in the District Court for Cass County, North Dakota, and the court authorized notice to class members, which began going out by email in September 2026. The lawsuit alleges that around November 8 and November 22, 2025, criminal third parties gained unauthorized access to Brandt's network in two cybersecurity incidents, and that the information involved may have included names, addresses, driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers.Brandt denies that it did anything wrong and denies all claims and liability. The court has not decided who is right; the parties agreed to settle to avoid the costs and risks of continuing the case.
Who Qualifies?
The court defined the settlement class as all living individuals residing in the United States who were sent notice by Brandt Equities that their private information may have been involved in the data incident. Brandt's directors, officers and agents, governmental entities, the judge and court staff, and anyone who opts out are excluded.How Much Can You Get?
Class members can claim any combination of three benefits:- Documented losses: up to $3,500 for out-of-pocket losses fairly traceable to the data incident and incurred between November 8, 2025 and December 17, 2026, such as losses from identity theft or fraud, fees for credit reports, credit monitoring or credit freezes, the cost of replacing IDs, and postage to contact banks.
- Lost time: $20 an hour for up to four hours, a maximum of $80, for time spent on tasks like changing passwords, checking accounts for suspicious activity or researching the incident.
- Credit monitoring: two years of CyEx Identity Defense Complete, with credit file monitoring, dark web scanning, public records monitoring and $1 million in identity theft insurance.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The claim form asks for the Login ID from the class member's notice, which the online claim portal uses. Documented-loss claims need supporting records such as bank statements or receipts; the claimant's own notes can explain the records but are not enough on their own, and expenses already reimbursed by someone else are not covered. Lost-time claims need no receipts: the claimant selects the hours and signs that the time was spent because of the data incident, under penalty of perjury.What Is the Deadline?
Online claims must be submitted by December 17, 2026. For mailed claims the two official documents differ: the notice says a paper claim must be postmarked by December 17, 2026, while the claim form says claims must be received by that date. The opt-out and objection deadline is November 17, 2026. Neither document gives a time of day.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed through the official settlement website, BrandtEquitiesSettlement.com, or on a paper claim form downloaded from the site and mailed to the settlement administrator, Simpluris. The claim form offers payment by PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or a virtual prepaid card. Only one claim per person is allowed.What Happens Next?
The opt-out and objection deadline is November 17, 2026, and the claim deadline is December 17, 2026. The court will hold the final approval hearing on January 14, 2027 at 1:30 p.m. Central Time by teleconference, where it will also consider the fee request. Payments are distributed only if the court grants final approval and after any appeals are resolved.Sources and Verification
- Official settlement website — BrandtEquitiesSettlement.com
- Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement (PDF)
- Claim Form and Release (PDF)
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news site and is not the settlement administrator or a law firm.
Questions
Is there a cash payment without documented losses?
There is no flat cash payment. Cash is available only for documented out-of-pocket losses, up to $3,500, and for time spent dealing with the data incident, up to four hours at $20 an hour. A lost-time claim needs no receipts; the claimant states the hours under penalty of perjury. Credit monitoring is available to every class member who files.
Do attorneys' fees reduce the benefits?
According to the notice, class counsel will ask for $240,000 in fees and costs and service awards of $2,500 for each class representative, and Brandt will pay those amounts if the court approves them. They are not described as coming out of the class members' benefits.
Is the mailed-claim deadline a postmark or a received date?
The two official documents differ. The notice says a mailed claim must be postmarked by December 17, 2026, while the claim form says claims must be received by December 17, 2026. Online claims must be submitted by December 17, 2026.
How are cash payments sent?
The claim form offers electronic payment options including PayPal, Venmo, Zelle and a virtual prepaid card. Payments are made only after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved.
