People whose private information Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, which operates the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island, identified as taken in its November 2023 data incident may qualify to claim up to $5,000 in documented losses, up to $80 for lost time and five years of credit monitoring from the Wyatt Detention Facility data breach class action settlement. A bankruptcy judge granted preliminary approval on October 16, 2026; claims close February 5, 2027, and the settlement website is due to launch by October 31, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are not open yet, but the claim deadline is set: February 5, 2027. Judge John A. Dorsey, Jr. of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island granted preliminary approval of the settlement on October 16, 2026. The order gives the administrator, Epiq, 15 days to launch the settlement website and online claim portal and to mail postcard notices, which puts the launch at or before October 31, 2026. The final approval hearing is set for February 17, 2027, and no payment date had been announced as of October 16, 2026.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
On October 16, 2026, the bankruptcy court entered an order preliminarily approving the data security incident settlement, certifying the settlement class for settlement purposes only, appointing Epiq as settlement administrator, approving the notices and claim form, and setting the claim, opt-out, objection and final approval dates. The court found the settlement fair, reasonable and adequate on a preliminary basis, citing among other factors the debtor's financial condition and the lack of available insurance coverage for the claims.The settlement traces back to a data incident discovered on November 2, 2023. In a statement on its website, the Wyatt Detention Facility said a virus had affected its computer systems and that it had identified approximately 12,890 detainees, 7,618 current, potential and former staff, and 185 outside vendors as affected. A proposed class action over the incident was filed in July 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island (No. 1:24-cv-00284). That case was paused when Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 10, 2026 (No. 1:26-bk-10628), and the settlement moved into the bankruptcy case. The company denies any wrongdoing or liability, and no court has found it liable.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class covers all individuals in the United States whose private information was maintained on the debtor's computer systems and who were identified by the debtor as having some of that information taken during the November 2023 data incident. According to the class notice, the information involved includes some combination of names, addresses, medical information, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other identifying information.The order excludes the debtor's directors; anyone who timely and validly opts out; the bankruptcy judge and the district judge presiding over the underlying lawsuit, along with their staff; and anyone who gave the debtor an express release of claims arising from the incident before July 10, 2026. Because the class is limited to people the debtor itself identified, the court-approved postcard notice is mailed directly to class members.
How Much Can You Get?
Class members can claim three benefits, and the claim form allows all three on the same claim:- Documented out-of-pocket losses: reimbursement of up to $5,000 per class member for losses related to the data incident, such as unreimbursed fraud or identity theft losses, credit freeze costs, and expenses like notary, fax, postage, copying, mileage and long-distance phone charges. Expenses already reimbursed by another source are not covered.
- Lost time: up to four hours at $20 an hour, a maximum of $80, for time spent on things like changing passwords, checking accounts for suspicious activity, contacting a bank or signing up for monitoring.
- Credit monitoring: 60 months of single-bureau credit monitoring. Enrollment instructions and an activation code are sent after the settlement becomes final.
The cash benefits share a $100,000 settlement fund, which also pays the $2,000 service award requested for the class representative. If approved loss and time claims add up to more than the fund can cover, cash payments are reduced pro rata. The credit monitoring and the $90,000 in attorneys' fees and expenses that class counsel plans to request are paid separately and do not come out of the fund. No estimate of the per-person cash amount has been published; it depends on how many valid claims are filed.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The court-approved postcard notice includes a tear-off claim form printed with a unique identifier, and the long-form claim form is set up for administrator tracking. The online claim form has not been published, so whether it can be completed without the identifier from the notice is not yet known. Data breach claim portals typically ask for one.The lost-time payment needs no receipts; the claimant checks the number of hours (one to four) and signs an attestation. The documented-loss payment requires reasonable documentation, such as receipts, bank or credit card statements, invoices, telephone records or correspondence. A personal certification, declaration or affidavit alone does not count, and the claim form asks claimants to redact unrelated expenses and account details. The postcard's tear-off form covers only lost time and credit monitoring; documented losses must be claimed online or on a full claim form requested from the administrator.
What Is the Deadline?
Claim forms must be submitted online or postmarked by February 5, 2027. The order does not specify a time of day or time zone for the claim deadline. Requests to opt out and objections are due January 15, 2027. Under the order, these dates can be adjusted by agreement of the parties without a further court order, but the notice period, the opt-out and objection deadline and the claim deadline cannot be shortened.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed through the official settlement website once Epiq launches it, or by mailing a paper claim form to the administrator. The notice states that anyone who does not request a paper claim form is treated as consenting to electronic submission. The approved claim form offers payment by check or by PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or direct deposit. The settlement website link will be added here once it is live; until then, the court order and docket below are the official sources for the settlement terms.Opting out works differently in this case than in most data breach settlements. Exclusion requests must be mailed, signed and postmarked by January 15, 2027, and they cannot be made by phone or email. People who opt out get no settlement benefits and, to keep a claim over the incident alive, must also file an Opt-Out Proof of Claim in the bankruptcy case within 30 days after the administrator notifies them of that deadline.
What Happens Next?
The order calls for the settlement website, postcard notices and social media notices to begin within 15 days, and for publication notices and a press release to be substantially complete by December 31, 2026. Class counsel's fee and service award application is due January 18, 2027, and supporting papers for final approval are due February 10, 2027. The bankruptcy court will hold the final approval hearing on February 17, 2027 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.Benefits are distributed only after final approval. The order also ties the settlement to the debtor's chapter 11 plan: the class proof of claim is finally allowed upon final approval and the confirmation and effectiveness of the plan, and the settlement releases take effect as of the plan's effective date. No payment date had been announced as of October 16, 2026.
Sources and Verification
- Order granting preliminary approval of the data security incident settlement, with the approved class notices and claim form (Dkt. 235, Oct. 16, 2026)
- In re Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, No. 1:26-bk-10628 (Bankr. D.R.I.) — docket
- Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility statement on the November 2023 data security incident
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news and information site, not a law firm. This article is general information about the Wyatt Detention Facility data breach settlement. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Questions
Why is a bankruptcy court handling the Wyatt Detention Facility data breach settlement?
Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, which does business as the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in Rhode Island on July 10, 2026. The filing paused the data breach class action pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, so the settlement was submitted to the bankruptcy court instead. Judge John A. Dorsey, Jr. granted preliminary approval on October 16, 2026.
Do class members have to file a proof of claim in the Wyatt bankruptcy case?
Not for the data incident. Under the preliminary approval order, class members whose only claims against the debtor arise from the data incident do not have to file a general bankruptcy proof of claim to receive settlement benefits; class counsel files a single class proof of claim on the class's behalf. Claims unrelated to the data incident are governed by the bankruptcy case's general bar date of October 16, 2026.
Are the lawyers paid out of the $100,000 Wyatt settlement fund?
No. Class counsel plans to request $90,000 in attorneys' fees and expenses, which the notice says will be paid separately and will not reduce class benefits. The cost of the credit monitoring is also paid outside the fund. The $2,000 service award requested for the class representative does come out of the $100,000 fund. All of these amounts are subject to court approval.
What happens to people who opt out of the Wyatt data breach settlement?
Opt-out requests are made by mailed letter postmarked by January 15, 2027. People who opt out receive no settlement benefits. Under the order, the administrator then sends each of them a notice, and they have 30 days from that notice to file an Opt-Out Proof of Claim in the bankruptcy case; a person who opts out and misses that deadline is barred from asserting claims related to the data incident against the debtor.
When will Wyatt data breach settlement payments be made?
No payment date has been announced. Benefits are distributed only after the bankruptcy court grants final approval, and the order ties the class proof of claim and the settlement releases to the approval and effective date of the debtor's chapter 11 plan. The final approval hearing is set for February 17, 2027.
