Published
February 14, 2026
Updated
July 25, 2026
This $330,000 settlement covered people notified that their information was involved in Word & Brown Insurance Administrators’ October 2024 data breach. Claims closed February 19, 2026; the official site lists the deadline as expired and has not posted a payment date.
Current Status
Claims are closed. The deadline was February 19, 2026. The official settlement website lists the response deadline as expired but does not post a final approval order or payment date.Who Is Word & Brown Insurance Administrators?
You may have never heard this company's name before, and that's normal. Word & Brown Insurance Administrators (WBIA) is a behind-the-scenes company that handles the administrative side of health insurance. They don't sell you a policy directly — instead, they work with insurance brokers and employers to process claims, manage benefits enrollment, and handle the paperwork that keeps health insurance plans running.If your employer uses an insurance broker that works with Word & Brown, your personal information — name, Social Security number, health plan details — may have been stored on their systems without you ever knowing the company existed. That's why getting a breach notice from a company you've never heard of can be confusing, but it doesn't mean it's a scam. It means the company that was handling your insurance paperwork got hacked. The same thing happened with the TRISTAR Insurance Group data breach settlement, another behind-the-scenes insurance-claims administrator.
StatusClaims ClosedPayment date not announced.
Claim DeadlineFebruary 19, 2026The response window expired.
Settlement Fund$330,000Before fees and costs.
Potential Benefit$45 or up to $1,500Depending on the selected claim option.
What Happened?
On or about October 23, 2024, Word & Brown discovered that a third party had gained unauthorized access to its computer systems. The breach potentially exposed personal identifiable information of certain individuals whose data was in the company's systems.The lawsuit alleges the company failed to adequately protect this information. Word & Brown denies all allegations and any wrongdoing. No court has made any determination of fault. The two sides agreed to settle.
Who Qualifies?
You qualify if you are a living U.S. resident whose personal information was impacted in the October 2024 data breach. If you received a postcard notice about this settlement, you've been identified as a class member.You'll need the unique ID from that postcard notice to file your claim.
What Can You Get?
This settlement gives you two options. You pick one or the other — you can't choose both.Option 1: Documented losses + credit monitoring. If the breach actually cost you money — through fraud, identity theft, or misuse of your personal information — you can claim up to $1,500 in reimbursement for documented, unreimbursed losses. The losses must have been substantially more likely than not caused by the breach, and must have occurred between October 1, 2024 and seven days after the court-approved settlement notice was sent. On top of the loss reimbursement, you also get two years of credit monitoring with at least $1,000,000 in identity theft protection insurance.
Option 2: $45 cash payment. If you don't have documented losses but you were affected by the breach, you can choose a flat $45 cash payment instead. This amount is subject to pro rata reduction — meaning if a lot of people file claims, it could go down. If you choose this option, you do not get the credit monitoring.
If you have actual fraud losses, Option 1 is significantly more valuable. If you don't have losses but want something for the inconvenience, Option 2 gets you a quick cash payment.
What Proof Do I Need?
For the $45 cash payment, no documentation of losses is needed — you just submit the claim form with your unique ID from the postcard notice.For the $1,500 loss reimbursement, you need documentation showing actual, unreimbursed monetary losses from fraud or identity theft that were substantially more likely than not caused by the breach. This means receipts, bank statements, or other records showing what happened and how much it cost you.
Important Dates
• Data Breach Discovered: October 23, 2024
• Eligible Loss Period: October 1, 2024 – 7 days after settlement notice sent
• Opt-Out Deadline: January 20, 2026 (passed)
• Objection Deadline: January 20, 2026 (passed)
• Final Approval Hearing: January 7, 2026 at 3:00 PM — Empire College Annex, 3035 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 200, Courtroom 17, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
• Claim Form Deadline: February 19, 2026
Attorneys' Fees
Class Counsel (John J. Nelson of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC) will request up to $110,000 in attorneys' fees and costs. A service award of up to $1,500 is being requested for class representative Daniel Goodwin. These amounts come from the $330,000 settlement fund.What Happens If I Do Nothing?
Class members who did not file by February 19, 2026 receive no settlement benefit and remain bound by the settlement unless they timely excluded themselves.How Claims Were Filed
Claims could be filed online or by mail using the unique ID from the postcard notice. The February 19, 2026 filing deadline has passed.Free settlement alerts
Get notified when new class actions open to claims
Join thousands of readers who get the latest class action settlements you may qualify for — delivered straight to your inbox.
Case Information
The case is Goodwin v. Word & Brown Insurance Administrators, Inc., Case No. 25CV04934, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Sonoma, before Judge Jane Gaskell.Class Counsel: John J. Nelson of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC (San Diego, CA).
Defense Counsel: James W. Davidson of O'Hagan Meyer (Chicago, IL).
Settlement Administrator: CPT Group, Inc.
Settlement Website: WBIASettlement.com
Settlement Notice
Sources
• Class Action Settlement Notice, Goodwin v. Word & Brown Insurance Administrators, Inc., Case No. 25CV04934 (Superior Court of California, Sonoma County)• Settlement Website: WBIASettlement.com
Filing Class Action Settlement Claims
Please submit only truthful information when filing your claim. If you are unsure whether you qualify, contact the Settlement Administrator or Class Counsel. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news site and is not the settlement administrator or a law firm.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Fund
$330,000
Case Title
Goodwin v. Word & Brown Insurance Administrators, Inc.
Case Number
25CV04934
Court
Superior Court of California, Sonoma County
Claim Deadline
February 19, 2026 (passed)
Status
Claims closed — payment date not announced
Official Website
WBIASettlement.com
