Published
October 24, 2026
People who completed a form on the USC Arcadia Hospital website to sign up for email or event updates between February 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023 may qualify to claim an equal share of a $200,000 fund from the USC Arcadia Hospital pixel tracking class action settlement. Claims close December 7, 2026, and filing online takes the LoginID and PIN from the emailed notice.
Current Status
Claims are open. The claim deadline is December 7, 2026; claim forms must be submitted on the settlement website or postmarked by that date, and the settlement sources give no time of day. The Los Angeles County Superior Court granted preliminary approval on September 8, 2026, and the final approval hearing is set for December 14, 2026. The court has not yet decided whether to give final approval, and no payment date had been announced as of October 24, 2026.Free settlement alerts
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Status
Claims Open
Preliminarily approved September 8, 2026 · final approval hearing December 14, 2026
Claim Deadline
December 7, 2026
Submitted online or postmarked by this date
Estimated Payout
Equal share of $200,000
Estimate: about $178 each if all ~582 class members file, more if fewer do · plus 1 year of CyEx Privacy Shield Pro
Proof Required
Yes — ID to file online
LoginID and PIN from the emailed notice · no receipts or documents · the printable mail-in form is the only route without them
What Changed Recently?
USC Arcadia Hospital agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve a proposed class action over tracking technology on its public website, and the court’s preliminary approval on September 8, 2026 opened the claim process. The order appointed Simpluris as settlement administrator and set December 7, 2026 as the deadline to file a claim, opt out or object.The case, Merle v. USC Arcadia Hospital, was filed on January 30, 2023 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawsuit claims the hospital installed the Meta Pixel and other tracking tools on its website and, through them, shared website users’ private information with Meta and other third parties, violating their privacy. The settlement releases claims under California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (Civil Code § 56) and the California Invasion of Privacy Act (Penal Code §§ 631 and 637), among others. USC Arcadia Hospital denies the claims and all wrongdoing and liability, including that it violated HIPAA or any similar privacy statute, and says it believes it complied with them.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is any person who completed a form on USC Arcadia Hospital’s website to sign up for email or event updates from February 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023. The settlement agreement defines the hospital’s website to include uscarcadiahospital.org, methodisthospital.org and other websites or patient portals the hospital used or controlled during that period. It estimates the class at about 582 people.The class is not every visitor to the website. It is tied to one activity, completing a sign-up form for email or event updates, and the class list came from the hospital’s own records. According to the settlement website, people who received a notice are identified in those records as class members.
Excluded are the judges presiding over the case and their families; USC Arcadia Hospital, its subsidiaries, parent companies, successors and predecessors, any entity in which it or its parents have a controlling interest, and its current or former officers and directors; anyone who submits a valid request for exclusion; and the successors or assigns of excluded people.
How Much Can Class Members Get?
The settlement provides two benefits. Every class member who does not opt out receives a one-year subscription to CyEx Privacy Shield Pro, a privacy service that the settlement agreement says includes a VPN, data broker opt-out, dark web monitoring and a password manager. Class members who file a valid claim also receive an equal share of the net settlement fund in cash.The $200,000 fund pays several costs first. Class counsel is asking the court for $61,335.92 in attorneys’ fees and $15,992.25 in expenses, plus a $1,500 service award to the named plaintiff. The settlement agreement puts administration costs at $17,766, which includes $2,470 to provide the CyEx codes to the whole class. If the court approves those amounts, about $103,406 would remain to divide equally among approved claims.
That makes each payment an estimate that depends on how many class members file. If every one of the estimated 582 class members filed, each share would be about $178; with fewer claims, each share is larger. The court may also approve different fee or cost amounts. None of the fund returns to the hospital. If money remains 180 days after payments go out, a second equal payment goes to claimants who cashed their first payment, as long as it would be at least $5. Anything left after that goes to the Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health, subject to court approval.
Payments can be received by check, or by PayPal or Venmo for claims filed online. Paper checks must be cashed within 180 days.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
No receipts, medical records or other documents are needed. The online claim form, however, opens only after a claimant logs in with the LoginID and PIN printed on the notice, which was sent by email. The claim page states that the LoginID and PIN are required to start the online claim form, and a login attempt without them is rejected.The printable claim form on the settlement website asks only for a name, address, email address, phone number and signature, with no LoginID field. That paper form is the only way to file without the notice credentials. Class members who cannot find their notice can also ask the administrator for their LoginID and PIN by giving their full name and mailing address; the settlement website’s contact page explains how. The administrator may ask for more information to process a claim, and the settlement agreement says it will make reasonable efforts to confirm that a claim filed without a class member identifier is valid.
What Is the Deadline?
The claim deadline is December 7, 2026. Online claims must be submitted on the settlement website by that date, and mailed claim forms must be postmarked by that date. The settlement sources do not specify a time of day or time zone.December 7, 2026 is also the deadline to opt out or to object. Opt-out requests must be mailed and postmarked by that date. Objections can be mailed with the same postmark deadline or presented in person at the final approval hearing, and the notice lists what each must include. Class members who opt out receive neither the cash payment nor the CyEx service. The CyEx enrollment window is separate: the settlement website says enrollment closes March 15, 2027.
How Do Class Members File?
Claims are filed on the USC Arcadia Hospital Settlement claim page. The online form starts with the LoginID and PIN from the notice, then asks for contact details and a payment choice. The same site has the printable claim form for filing by mail, and its CyEx enrollment instructions page covers activating the privacy service with the code in the notice.What Happens Next?
Judge Theresa M. Traber will hold the final approval hearing at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, December 14, 2026, in Department 1 of the Spring Street Courthouse in Los Angeles. The hearing date may change, and the settlement website posts updates. Class counsel’s fee and expense request and the service award are decided separately from the settlement itself.Payments go out only if the court grants final approval and the settlement becomes effective, which happens after the time for any appeal runs out. The settlement agreement calls for payments within 35 days after that effective date. The settlement website anticipates that CyEx codes will become active on December 15, 2026, once the settlement is final.
Sources and Verification
- USC Arcadia Hospital Settlement — official settlement website (home, FAQ, important dates, claim page and CyEx enrollment instructions)
- Class Action Notice, authorized by the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles
- Class Action Settlement Agreement
- Order Granting Preliminary Approval of Settlement, Merle v. USC Arcadia Hospital, Case No. 23STCV01900
- Printable Claim Form
The case is in California state court, whose dockets are not mirrored on CourtListener, so the court documents above come from the settlement website. Settlement class counsel are Coulson P.C. and Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Team LLP. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
Questions
Does the settlement cover everyone who visited the USC Arcadia Hospital website?
No. The settlement class is limited to people who completed a form on the hospital’s website to sign up for email or event updates between February 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023. The settlement agreement estimates the class at about 582 people, and notice was sent by email to the people identified in the hospital’s records.
Do class members have to file a claim to get CyEx Privacy Shield Pro?
No claim form is needed for the privacy service. Every class member who does not opt out receives a one-year CyEx Privacy Shield Pro activation code, which is included in the notice. The settlement website says the code becomes active after the settlement is final, anticipated December 15, 2026, and that enrollment closes March 15, 2027. A claim form is required only for the cash payment.
What if a class member no longer has the notice with the LoginID and PIN?
The settlement website says the administrator will provide a LoginID and PIN to a class member who supplies a full name and mailing address, and explains how to request them on its contact page. The printable claim form on the settlement website does not ask for the LoginID or PIN; it can be submitted as the claim page directs, postmarked by December 7, 2026 if mailed.
What is paid out of the $200,000 fund before class members are paid?
Class counsel is asking for $61,335.92 in attorneys’ fees and $15,992.25 in expenses, plus a $1,500 service award to the named plaintiff, all subject to court approval. The settlement agreement puts administration costs at $17,766, including $2,470 for the CyEx Privacy Shield Pro codes for the whole class. What remains is split equally among class members with approved claims.
Is USC Arcadia Hospital admitting it did anything wrong?
No. USC Arcadia Hospital denies the claims and all allegations of wrongdoing and liability, including that it violated HIPAA or any similar privacy statute. The settlement is a compromise, and the court has not decided which side is right.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
$200,000
Case Title
Merle v. USC Arcadia Hospital
Case Number
23STCV01900
Court
Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
Final Approval Hearing
December 14, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Department 1, Spring Street Courthouse
Administrator
Simpluris
Official Website
USC Arcadia Hospital Settlement
