People notified that their names and Social Security numbers may have been exposed in the January 2026 cyberattack on Grayback Forestry, an Oregon wildfire-suppression and forest-restoration company, may qualify to claim $65, or up to $5,000 in documented losses and lost time, from the Grayback Forestry data breach class action settlement, plus three years of credit monitoring. Claims close December 28, 2026; the final approval hearing is set for January 25, 2027.
Current Status
Claims are open. The claim deadline is December 28, 2026, for online claims and for mailed claims, which must be postmarked by that date. The opt-out and objection deadlines come first, on November 27, 2026. The Josephine County Circuit Court in Oregon has preliminarily approved the settlement, and the final approval hearing is set for January 25, 2027, at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. No payment date had been announced as of November 11, 2026.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
The claims process opened after the court preliminarily approved the settlement in Mull v. Grayback Forestry, Inc., No. 26CV37687, in Josephine County Circuit Court. The administrator, Simpluris, has launched the settlement website and sent postcard notices with each class member’s Login ID, PIN and credit monitoring enrollment code.Grayback Forestry, based in Merlin, Oregon, provides wildfire suppression and forest restoration services. According to its March 13, 2026 breach notice, Grayback learned of suspicious activity on its systems on January 6, 2026, and its investigation found that an unauthorized actor accessed its systems and likely copied files between January 5 and January 6, 2026. The information involved was names and Social Security numbers. The complaint, filed by a former employee, alleges Grayback failed to protect that information and notified affected people too slowly. Grayback denies the allegations and any wrongdoing, and the court has not decided who is right.
The case was first filed in federal court in Oregon on March 26, 2026. During settlement talks the parties moved it to state court, where it was refiled on July 20, 2026.
Who Qualifies?
The notice and settlement website define the class as everyone who received direct notice that their private information may have been compromised in the Grayback data breach. The settlement agreement describes the same group as individuals residing in the United States who were impacted in the incident, and puts it at about 5,029 people.Excluded are Grayback and its officers, directors and related companies; the judge, the judge’s family and staff; anyone who carried out the breach; and anyone who opts out.
How Much Can You Get?
Each class member who files chooses one cash option:- Out-of-pocket expenses and lost time: reimbursement of up to $5,000 for documented, unreimbursed losses more likely than not caused by the breach and incurred between January 5, 2026 and December 28, 2026, such as identity theft or fraud losses, credit report, monitoring or freeze fees, ID replacement and postage. Lost time is paid at $25 an hour for up to five hours, or $125, and counts toward the same $5,000 limit.
- Alternative cash payment: a one-time $65 payment, with no documentation required. Choosing it rules out the out-of-pocket and lost-time payments.
All cash benefits share a $165,000 cap under the settlement agreement. If valid claims exceed it, every payment is reduced proportionally.
Every class member can also enroll in three years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete single-bureau credit monitoring, with $1 million of financial fraud insurance and access to a fraud resolution agent. The enrollment code is on the postcard notice, and the service becomes active once the court grants final approval. Grayback’s original breach letter had offered 24 months of the same service.
Grayback pays attorneys’ fees and costs of up to $90,000, a $2,000 service award for the class representative and the administration costs separately, so none of those reduce the $165,000 cap. The agreement also requires Grayback to give class counsel a confidential description of security improvements made since the breach.
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’s contact page. The downloadable paper claim form asks for the Login ID “if known.”The $65 payment needs no documents. The out-of-pocket option needs third-party records such as receipts or bank statements; personal notes can explain them but are not enough alone. Lost time requires an attestation, under penalty of perjury, of the hours spent.
What Is the Deadline?
Claims are due December 28, 2026, online or by mail postmarked by that date. The settlement agreement sets 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline day as the cutoff for online claims. Requests to opt out and objections are due earlier, by November 27, 2026.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed on the official Grayback Data Breach Settlement website:- Log in with the Login ID and PIN from the notice.
- Choose either the $65 alternative cash payment or out-of-pocket expenses and lost time, uploading proof for any expenses.
- Pick a payment method: PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or a paper check.
- Sign and submit by December 28, 2026.
The postcard notice also carries a tear-off card for claiming lost time or the $65 payment by mail. The settlement website has an Enrollment Instruction Request page for an email reminder when the credit monitoring can be activated.
What Happens Next?
The court will hold the final approval hearing on January 25, 2027, at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time in Josephine County Circuit Court; the notice says the exact location will be set by the court. If the settlement is approved and becomes effective, the agreement calls for approved claims to be paid within 30 days after the effective date.Sources and Verification
- Official Grayback Data Breach Settlement website (Simpluris), including the FAQs and claim login page
- Long Form Notice, Mull v. Grayback Forestry, Inc., No. 26CV37687 (Or. Cir. Ct., Josephine County), embedded below
- Settlement Agreement and Release, with the claim form exhibit
- Class Action Complaint (filed July 20, 2026) and its Exhibit A, Grayback’s March 13, 2026 Notice of Data Security Event
- Plaintiff’s Unopposed Motion for Preliminary Approval (filed August 25, 2026)
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news and information site, not a law firm. This article is general information about the Grayback Forestry data breach settlement. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Questions
Why is the Grayback case in Oregon state court instead of federal court?
The lawsuit was first filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon on March 26, 2026. During settlement talks the parties agreed that state court was the proper forum, dismissed the federal case and refiled in Josephine County Circuit Court on July 20, 2026, where the settlement is being approved.
Can the $65 payment be reduced?
The settlement agreement puts all cash payments, the $65 alternative payments and the documented-loss and lost-time reimbursements together, under a $165,000 cap. If valid claims exceed $165,000, every payment is reduced proportionally. The agreement puts the class at about 5,029 people.
What happens if a documented-loss claim is rejected?
Under the settlement agreement, a claimant whose out-of-pocket claim lacks sufficient third-party documentation is given 21 days to cure the problem. A claimant who does not cure it automatically receives the $65 alternative cash payment instead.
Is the credit monitoring different from what Grayback offered in its breach letter?
Yes. Grayback’s March 2026 breach notice offered 24 months of CyEx Financial Shield Complete. The settlement provides three years of the same service, with $1 million of fraud insurance, activated once the court grants final approval.
Who pays the lawyers and the administrator?
Grayback pays them separately. Class counsel will ask for up to $90,000 in fees and costs and a $2,000 service award for the class representative, and Grayback pays notice and administration costs. None of those come out of the $165,000 cash cap.
