Patients who were sent a July 2025 notice about the 2022 cyberattack on DotHouse Health, a community health center in Dorchester, Massachusetts, may qualify to claim an estimated $40, or up to $2,000 in documented losses, from the $750,000 DotHouse Health data breach class action settlement, plus two years of medical identity and credit monitoring. Claims close January 29, 2027; the final approval hearing is set for January 19, 2027.
Current Status
Claims are open until January 29, 2027, online or by mail postmarked by that date. Written objections must be filed by December 29, 2026. Justice Robert B. Gordon of the Suffolk County Superior Court preliminarily approved the settlement on September 18, 2026, and the final approval hearing is set for January 19, 2027 — ten days before the claim deadline. Payments are made only after final approval and any appeals, and no payment date had been announced as of November 12, 2026.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
The claims process opened after the court preliminarily approved the settlement in Samiotes, et al. v. DotHouse Health, Inc., Docket No. 2584CV01999, on September 18, 2026. The administrator, Simpluris, has launched the settlement website and mailed postcard notices with each class member’s Login ID and PIN.According to the settlement agreement, DotHouse Health, a Dorchester-based health care organization, learned on or about November 27, 2022 that systems in its network had been affected by a security incident. Its investigation found that an unauthorized party had access between October 31 and November 27, 2022, and accessed private information of about 190,000 people, potentially including names, addresses, dates of birth, medical record numbers, Social Security numbers, treatment information and health insurance information. DotHouse issued a public notice and began mailing letters on July 14, 2025.
Several lawsuits followed and were consolidated in October 2025. The plaintiffs allege DotHouse failed to protect patients’ information. DotHouse denies any wrongdoing or liability, and the court has not decided who is right.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement builds on a “Notice Class”: the approximately 145,000 people DotHouse sent notice of the incident to in or around July 2025 whose letters were not returned as undeliverable. From that group, the settlement class includes:- current or former Massachusetts residents; and
- people who were never Massachusetts residents but choose to participate in the settlement.
DotHouse’s directors and officers, the judge, the judge’s immediate family and court staff are excluded. The notice describes three options — file a claim, object, or do nothing — and does not offer an opt-out.
How Much Can You Get?
DotHouse pays $750,000 into a non-reversionary fund. Administration costs, court-approved service awards, attorneys’ fees and costs, and the cost of monitoring come out first, followed by documented-loss claims and then the pro rata payments.- Documented losses: up to $2,000 for unreimbursed, documented out-of-pocket losses related to the incident that occurred between October 31, 2022 and the claim deadline, such as identity theft or fraud losses, credit report, monitoring or freeze fees, ID replacement and postage.
- Pro rata cash: a payment estimated at $40, with no documentation required. The notice says a significant amount of money is expected to remain after expenses and other benefits, and all of it is divided equally among people who claim the pro rata payment, so the final amount can be higher or lower than $40.
- Monitoring: two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete with one-bureau credit monitoring and $1 million of insurance, which the agreement values at $179.40 a year.
The documents describe the two cash options differently. The notice and settlement website present the pro rata payment as an alternative to documented losses, while the settlement agreement allows it “in addition to or in lieu of” the documented-loss payment. Under the agreement, a documented-loss claim that is rejected and not cured is converted to a pro rata payment.
Class counsel will ask for up to $250,000 in attorneys’ fees plus costs, and service awards of $2,500 for each of the six class representatives, all paid from the fund. The settlement website’s FAQ and claim page list the fund as $725,000; the revised settlement agreement and the notice both say $750,000.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The online claim form opens only with the Login ID and PIN printed on the notice. A class member who cannot find them can ask the administrator to resend them, by full name and mailing address, through the settlement website. The pro rata payment and monitoring can also be claimed on the tear-off form attached to the postcard notice, and a full paper claim form can be downloaded and mailed.The pro rata payment needs no documents. Documented-loss claims need reasonable supporting documentation such as receipts or bank statements; personal notes can explain the documents but are not enough on their own.
What Is the Deadline?
Claims are due January 29, 2027, online or by mail postmarked by that date; the settlement agreement sets 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time as the online cutoff. Written objections must be filed with the Clerk of Court by December 29, 2026, with copies to the administrator and the lawyers for both sides.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed on the official DotHouse Data Incident Settlement website:- Log in with the Login ID and PIN from the notice.
- Choose the pro rata payment or documented losses, uploading documentation for any losses, and elect the monitoring if wanted.
- Sign and submit by January 29, 2027.
What Happens Next?
The court will hold the final approval hearing on January 19, 2027, in Courtroom 313 of the Suffolk Superior Court, Three Pemberton Square, Boston. Because the hearing comes before the claim deadline, claims can still be filed after it. If the court approves the settlement, payments follow the effective date and the resolution of any appeals. Before approval, the plaintiffs must notify the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee of any proposed recipient of residual funds, as the court’s order requires.Sources and Verification
- Official DotHouse Data Incident Settlement website (Simpluris), including the FAQs and claim login page
- Long Form Notice, Samiotes, et al. v. DotHouse Health, Inc., Docket No. 2584CV01999 (Mass. Super. Ct., Suffolk County), embedded below
- Revised Settlement Agreement, filed September 14, 2026
- Order Granting Preliminary Approval of the Class Action Settlement, Justice Robert B. Gordon, September 18, 2026
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news and information site, not a law firm. This article is general information about the DotHouse Health data breach settlement. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Questions
Is the DotHouse Health settlement fund $725,000 or $750,000?
The revised settlement agreement filed with the court and the court-approved notice both set the fund at $750,000, non-reversionary. The settlement website’s FAQ and claim page say $725,000. The agreement is the controlling document.
Could the $40 DotHouse payment be larger?
Yes. The $40 is an estimate. The agreement says cash payments rise pro rata if valid claims do not use up the fund and fall pro rata if they exceed it, and the notice says the parties expect a significant amount to remain after expenses and other benefits, to be divided equally among people who choose the pro rata payment.
Are people outside Massachusetts covered by the DotHouse settlement?
The class has two parts. Current and former Massachusetts residents in the notice group are class members. People in the notice group who were never Massachusetts residents are class members only if they choose to participate in the settlement. The notice group is the approximately 145,000 people DotHouse sent breach notices to around July 2025 whose letters were not returned as undeliverable.
Can both cash options be claimed?
The documents differ. The settlement agreement says class members may claim documented losses and the pro rata payment, with the pro rata payment available in addition to or in lieu of the documented-loss payment. The notice and the settlement website describe the pro rata payment as an alternative claimed instead of documented losses. Under the agreement, a documented-loss claim that is rejected and not cured is converted to a pro rata payment.
When did DotHouse Health learn of the breach?
According to the settlement agreement, DotHouse learned on or about November 27, 2022 that its systems were affected; an unauthorized party had access between October 31 and November 27, 2022. DotHouse issued a public notice and began mailing letters on July 14, 2025, more than two and a half years later.
