California residents mailed a County of Contra Costa “Notice of Data Breach” letter on or about May 10, 2023 could claim up to $500 in documented expenses, up to $5,000 in identity theft losses and two years of credit monitoring from the Contra Costa County data breach class action settlement. Claims closed January 20, 2026, and the court granted final approval on February 20, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are closed. The deadline to file was January 20, 2026. The Contra Costa County Superior Court granted final approval in an order filed February 20, 2026, and entered judgment on February 24, 2026. OCA had not located an official payment date as of September 26, 2026. There is nothing left for class members to file.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
The court approved the settlement. Judge Edward G. Weil heard the final approval motion and the fee request on February 5, 2026, granted both, and the signed order was filed February 20, 2026. Judgment on the settlement followed on February 24, 2026. A settlement compliance hearing remains on the court calendar for February 24, 2027.The lawsuit, Star Joshua v. The County of Contra Costa, et al., was filed in July 2023 after the County mailed breach notices. Plaintiffs alleged the County failed to protect personal information held in employee email accounts. The County and the other defendant deny all wrongdoing and liability, and the court made no finding that they did anything wrong.
What Happened in the Data Incident?
On September 20, 2022, Contra Costa County identified an email phishing incident. According to the settlement notice, an unauthorized party may have accessed two County employee email accounts, including emails and attachments, between September 19 and September 20, 2022. The County’s investigation found that about 15,591 people were potentially affected, and it mailed “Notice of Data Breach” letters on or about May 10, 2023.Who Qualified?
The settlement class covered everyone with a California mailing address who was mailed the County’s “Notice of Data Breach” letter on or about May 10, 2023. The County Board of Supervisors and related entities, people who excluded themselves, and the judges on the case and their families and staff were excluded.What Did the Settlement Offer?
Each class member who filed a valid claim could choose one or more of three benefits:• Reimbursement of documented ordinary expenses traceable to the incident, up to $500 per person. This category included lost time at $25 an hour for up to four hours ($100), which required a short written description of what the time was spent on.
• Reimbursement of documented extraordinary losses from actual identity theft or fraud, up to $5,000 per person.
• Two years of three-bureau credit monitoring through Equifax.
The notice set these per-person caps and did not describe a shared settlement fund. The County also agreed to adopt certain data security measures. Class counsel could request up to $150,000 in attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses, and the court granted the fee motion.
How Many People Filed?
The settlement administrator mailed postcard notices to 15,014 class members and reported reaching 94.13% of them. By January 14, 2026, six days before the deadline, it had received 512 claims, 477 of them valid. Most claimants asked for lost time (348) or credit monitoring (350). One person opted out, and no objections were received.What Happens Next?
The court has approved the settlement, so the remaining steps are paying valid claims and activating credit monitoring. Claimants should check the official settlement website, ContraCostaSettlement.com, for payment updates and use it to update their contact information. A compliance hearing is set for February 24, 2027.Sources and Verification
• Official settlement website, ContraCostaSettlement.com, including the court-approved notice and claim form• Register of actions for Case No. C23-01684, Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa, via the court’s public case portal
• Declaration of the settlement administrator on notice and claims, filed January 15, 2026
• Order granting final approval, filed February 20, 2026, and judgment entered February 24, 2026
Questions
Can I still file a claim in the Contra Costa County data breach settlement?
No. The claim deadline was January 20, 2026, and the court has already approved the settlement. Only people who filed a valid claim by that date will receive benefits.
Why did Contra Costa County send data breach letters in May 2023?
The County identified an email phishing incident on September 20, 2022. Its investigation found that an unauthorized party may have accessed two employee email accounts on September 19 and 20, 2022, and it mailed notices to about 15,591 potentially affected people on or about May 10, 2023.
Did the Contra Costa settlement pay people who had no receipts?
Partly. Lost time of up to four hours at $25 an hour required a written description and an attestation rather than receipts. Other expense reimbursements and identity theft losses required documentation, and credit monitoring required only a claim.
Who decided the Contra Costa County case?
The Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County approved the settlement. The County denied the claims, and the court did not decide whether it did anything wrong.
