People whose information was exposed in the February 2025 cyberattack on Pediatric Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Associates (POHNS), a Florida pediatric ear, nose and throat practice, may qualify to claim an estimated $25, or up to $2,000 in documented losses, from the POHNS data breach class action settlement, plus medical or minor identity monitoring. Claims close January 27, 2027; the final approval hearing is set for February 11, 2027.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline is January 27, 2027, for online claims and for mailed claims, which must be postmarked by that date. The Hillsborough County Circuit Court granted preliminary approval in an order conformed October 8, 2026, and the final approval hearing is set for February 11, 2027, at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time. Nothing is paid until the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved, and 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 Judge Paul L. Huey of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit preliminarily approved the settlement in Joe Yanchunis, et al. v. Pediatric Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Associates, P.A., No. 25-CA-009039. The administrator, Simpluris, has launched the settlement website and mailed postcard notices carrying each class member’s Login ID, PIN and monitoring enrollment code.According to the settlement agreement, POHNS, a Florida practice treating children’s ear, nose and throat conditions, detected unusual network activity on or about February 25, 2025, and its investigation found that files may have been accessed or taken without authorization between February 19 and February 24, 2025. POHNS posted substitute notice on April 25, 2025 and mailed individual notices on August 18, 2025. Several lawsuits followed and were consolidated in a complaint filed December 10, 2025, and the parties reached terms at a mediation on June 11, 2026. The plaintiffs allege POHNS failed to protect patients’ information. POHNS denies any wrongdoing or liability, and the court has not decided who is right.
Who Qualifies?
The court-certified settlement class is all living people residing in the United States whose private information was accessed or acquired by an unauthorized person in the POHNS data incident, including everyone who was sent a notice of the incident. Directors, officers and agents of POHNS, government entities, and the judge, the judge’s immediate family and court staff are excluded.The court also certified a Minor Subclass of class members who were minors at the time of the incident. That distinction decides which monitoring product a class member gets.
The exposed files may have included names with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses; Social Security numbers; driver’s license or state ID numbers; financial account and taxpayer ID numbers; digital signatures; dates of birth; diagnosis, treatment, prescription and dates-of-service information; patient ID and medical record numbers; provider names; Medicare and Medicaid numbers; and health insurance information.
How Much Can You Get?
Each class member who files may choose one of two cash options:- Cash Payment A, documented losses: reimbursement of up to $2,000 for unreimbursed out-of-pocket losses fairly traceable to the incident that occurred between February 19, 2025 and January 27, 2027 — for example, identity theft or fraud losses, credit report, monitoring or freeze fees, ID replacement costs and postage.
- Cash Payment B, alternate cash: a one-time payment estimated at $25, with no documentation required.
All cash payments share a $200,000 cap. If valid claims exceed it, every cash payment is reduced proportionally, so the $25 figure is an estimate rather than a guarantee.
On top of the cash option, adult class members can enroll in one year of CyEx Medical Shield Complete with one-bureau monitoring, and Minor Subclass members can enroll in three years of CyEx Minor Defense Pro. The notice describes both as including $1 million of medical identity theft insurance and monitoring for health insurance ID and medical record number exposure and unauthorized health savings account spending. The services can only be activated after final approval.
POHNS pays attorneys’ fees and costs of up to $325,000, service awards of up to $1,000 for each class representative, and administration costs separately, so none of those reduce the $200,000 cash cap. Under the settlement agreement, money left 30 days after the 180-day period for cashing checks is refunded to POHNS.
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 paper claim form, which can be downloaded and mailed, asks for the Login ID “if known.”The $25 alternate payment needs no receipts or explanation. The documented-loss option needs proof such as bank statements or receipts; the notice says personal notes can explain other proof but are not enough on their own. Monitoring enrollment uses the separate enrollment code from the postcard.
What Is the Deadline?
Claims are due January 27, 2027, 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. The opt-out and objection deadlines are also January 27, 2027.The claim login page on the settlement website gives January 28, 2027 in its closing line, while the court-approved notice, the FAQs and the site’s Important Dates all give January 27, 2027, the date set in the court-approved notice.
How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed on the official POHNS Data Incident Settlement website:- Log in with the Login ID and PIN from the notice.
- Choose either the $25 alternate payment or documented losses, and upload proof for the documented-loss option.
- Pick a payment method: PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, a virtual prepaid card or a paper check.
- Sign and submit by January 27, 2027.
The settlement website also has an Enrollment Instruction Request page where class members can sign up for an email with monitoring activation instructions once the settlement is final.
What Happens Next?
The court will hold the final approval hearing on February 11, 2027, at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time, by Zoom. If the settlement is approved and no appeals are filed, the agreement calls for cash payments within 60 days after the effective date, or 30 days after POHNS funds the payments, whichever is later, and for monitoring activation instructions within 60 days after the effective date.Sources and Verification
- Official POHNS Data Incident Settlement website (Simpluris), including the FAQs, the claim login page and Important Dates
- Long Form Notice, Yanchunis v. Pediatric Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Associates, P.A., No. 25-CA-009039 (Fla. 13th Cir. Ct., Hillsborough County)
- Settlement Agreement and its claim form exhibit
- Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Unopposed Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement, Judge Paul L. Huey, electronically conformed October 8, 2026
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news and information site, not a law firm. This article is general information about the POHNS data breach settlement. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Questions
Can a parent file a claim for a child whose records were in the POHNS breach?
The settlement was built around a children’s practice. The court certified a Minor Subclass of class members who were minors at the time of the February 2025 incident, and the settlement agreement lets a parent or legal guardian enroll a minor in three years of CyEx Minor Defense Pro even without filing a claim. The notice was addressed to the class member, so the Login ID and PIN for a child’s claim are on the notice sent for that child.
Is the monitoring automatic, or does it have to be claimed?
Neither, exactly. Enrollment codes were printed on the postcard notice, and class members can enroll with that code without filing a cash claim. The services cannot be activated until the court grants final approval, so the settlement website offers a reminder email with enrollment instructions for when that happens.
Why might the $25 payment be smaller?
All cash payments, the documented-loss reimbursements and the $25 alternate payments together, share a $200,000 cap. If valid claims add up to more than that, every cash payment is reduced by the same proportion.
What happens to money left after payments?
The settlement agreement says that funds remaining 30 days after the 180-day period for cashing checks are refunded to POHNS. Attorneys’ fees of up to $325,000, service awards and administration costs are paid by POHNS separately and do not come out of the $200,000 cash cap.
Can the settlement still fall apart?
Yes. The court must grant final approval at the February 11, 2027 hearing, and POHNS may terminate the agreement if more than 3% of the class, or any class representative, opts out. If the settlement ends, no benefits are paid.
