Published
September 24, 2026
People who received a notice letter about the February 2025 cyberattack on Communications Data Group's network, including customers of Duo County Telephone, Cumberland Cellular and Home Wireless, may qualify to claim $45 in cash, or up to $5,000 in documented losses plus three years of credit monitoring, from the Communications Data Group data breach class action settlement. Claims close November 10, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are open. A Claim Form must be submitted online or postmarked on or before November 10, 2026. The earlier deadline to opt out or object is October 26, 2026. The final approval hearing is set for November 16, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. Central Time; no final approval order has been entered and no payment date had been announced as of September 24, 2026.Free settlement alerts
Get notified when new class actions open to claims
Join thousands of readers who get the latest class action settlements you may qualify for — delivered straight to your inbox.
Status
Claims Open
Claim Deadline
November 10, 2026
Online or postmarked · opt-out and objection deadline is October 26, 2026
Estimated Payout
$45 or up to $5,000
Flat cash in lieu of everything else, or documented losses with 3 years of CyEx credit monitoring
Proof Required
Yes
LoginID and PIN from the mailed notice to file online · receipts only for documented losses
What Changed Recently?
The Circuit Court of Champaign County, Illinois authorized notice of a proposed settlement in Pierce v. Communications Data Group, Inc., Case No. 2026CH000032, opening the claim window. Judge Jason B. Bohm is overseeing the case. The defendants are Communications Data Group, Inc. (CDG), Duo County Telephone Cooperative Corporation, Cumberland Cellular, LLC and Home Wireless, Inc.The case concerns a cyberattack on CDG's network discovered in February 2025, in which an unauthorized third party gained access to CDG's systems. According to the court-approved notice, the incident potentially affected the personal information of about 137,059 people, including customers of the three telecom providers named as co-defendants. The information involved included names, addresses, dates of birth, driver's license information, bank account information and Social Security numbers.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were responsible for the data incident and asserts claims for negligence, negligence per se, breach of implied contract, breach of third-party beneficiary contract, unjust enrichment and declaratory judgment. The defendants deny the claims and any liability, and no court has found that they did anything wrong. They agreed to settle to avoid the burden and expense of litigation.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class covers people who reside in the United States and whose private information was potentially impacted by the data incident, including anyone mailed a notification about it by or on behalf of the defendants. To make a claim, the notice says a class member must have received a notice letter about the February 2025 incident; those letters came from CDG or Home Wireless.Excluded from the class are the defendants' employees, directors, officers and agents and those of their subsidiaries and affiliates; government entities; and the judges assigned to the case, their immediate families and court staff.
How Much Can You Get?
There are three benefits, and the rules for combining them matter:- Documented losses — up to $5,000. Reimbursement of actual, unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses that were more likely than not caused by the data incident and incurred on or after February 2025. The notice lists fraud and identity theft costs; professional fees such as attorneys', accountants' and credit repair fees; credit freeze and unfreeze costs; credit monitoring bought after the breach notice through the date of the claim; and smaller expenses such as notary, fax, postage, copying, mileage and long-distance charges. A documented-loss claim can be paired with the credit monitoring.
- Credit monitoring — 3 years. Three years of monitoring through CyEx with one of the major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax or TransUnion), including identity theft insurance of up to $1,000,000 with no deductible. It can be claimed alone or alongside a documented-loss claim.
- Alternative cash payment — $45. A one-time payment taken in lieu of both the documented-loss payment and the credit monitoring.
So the choice is between $45 in cash on its own, or monitoring with or without a documented-loss claim. There is no aggregate settlement fund, and the notice describes no overall cap or pro rata reduction: CDG pays each approved benefit. It also pays the costs of notice and administration, attorneys' fees and expenses of up to $500,000, and service awards of up to $2,500 for each class representative, all separately, so none of those amounts reduce class member benefits. The notice describes the settlement as non-reversionary, and CDG has also agreed to business improvements to further secure its systems.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
Filing online requires the LoginID and PIN printed on the notice mailed to class members, including for the $45 payment, which asks for no receipts. That makes this a proof-required settlement at every tier.A documented-loss claim also needs reasonable documentation that the expense was actually incurred and not reimbursed, plus a declaration under penalty of perjury that the information submitted is true. The settlement administrator reviews each claim and can send a notice of deficiency asking for more information; a claim is treated as invalid if that information is not provided in time.
What Is the Deadline?
- October 12, 2026 — fee motion. The deadline for Class Counsel's motion for attorneys' fees, costs and service awards, which will be posted on the settlement website.
- October 26, 2026 — exclusion and objection. An opt-out letter must be mailed to the settlement administrator, postmarked by this date. An objection must be mailed to the settlement administrator and filed with the court by the same date; the notice's summary table says objections must be received by October 26, so send one early.
- November 10, 2026 — claim deadline. Claim Forms must be submitted online or postmarked on or before this date. The notice gives no time of day.
- November 16, 2026 — final approval hearing, at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.
A class member who does nothing receives no benefit and, if the settlement is approved, gives up the right to sue the defendants over the data incident.
How Do You Take Action?
File through the official Communications Data Group settlement website, which hosts the online Claim Form, a FAQ page, the notice and the settlement agreement. Log in with the LoginID and PIN from your notice, choose your benefits and attach documentation for any documented loss. A paper Claim Form can be requested through the website and mailed, postmarked by November 10, 2026.Simpluris is the settlement administrator. The court appointed Strauss Borrelli PLLC; Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman; and Federman & Sherwood as Class Counsel, and class members are not charged for that representation. Questions about a claim or a missing LoginID go to the administrator through the official website.
OpenClassActions is not the settlement administrator and cannot look up your LoginID or confirm whether you are in the class.
What Happens Next?
Class Counsel's motion for final approval is due by November 2, 2026. The court will hold the final approval hearing on November 16, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. Central Time, in person or by remote means as the court orders, and will decide whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate and rule on the fee and service award request. The notice warns that the hearing may move without further notice, so check the settlement website before relying on the date.A hearing is not an approval. Benefits are provided only if the court grants final approval and after any appeals are resolved, which the notice says could take more than a year. No payment date had been announced as of September 24, 2026.
Sources and Verification
- The court-approved Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement in Pierce v. Communications Data Group, Inc., Case No. 2026CH000032 (Cir. Ct. Champaign County, Ill.).
- The official settlement website, including its Claim Form, FAQ and settlement agreement.
Questions
Can I take the $45 and the credit monitoring?
No. The notice describes the $45 Alternative Cash Payment as taken in lieu of both the documented-loss payment and the credit monitoring. A class member who wants the three years of monitoring either claims it alone or pairs it with a documented-loss claim of up to $5,000.
Which companies' customers were affected?
The notice says the cyberattack on Communications Data Group's network potentially affected personal information of customers of Duo County Telephone Cooperative Corporation, Cumberland Cellular and Home Wireless, among others. Notice letters came from Communications Data Group or Home Wireless. About 137,059 people were affected, according to the notice.
Do attorneys' fees reduce what class members receive?
No. There is no common fund for fees to come out of. Class Counsel will ask for up to $500,000 in fees and expenses and service awards of up to $2,500 for each class representative, and the notice states that Communications Data Group pays those amounts and the administration costs separately from class member benefits.
What counts as a documented loss?
An actual, unreimbursed out-of-pocket expense that was more likely than not caused by the data incident, incurred on or after February 2025, backed by reasonable documentation and a declaration under penalty of perjury. The notice lists fraud and identity theft costs, professional fees such as accountants or credit repair, credit freeze and unfreeze costs, credit monitoring bought after the breach notice, and smaller expenses such as postage, notary and mileage.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
No aggregate fund
Benefits paid per approved claim · fees up to $500,000, service awards and administration paid separately by CDG
Case Title
Pierce v. Communications Data Group, Inc., et al.
Case Number
2026CH000032
Court
Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Champaign County, Illinois
Final Approval Hearing
November 16, 2026 at 10:30 AM CT
Judge Jason B. Bohm · in person or by remote means as the court orders; date may change
Administrator
Simpluris
Official Website
Communications Data Group Settlement.com
