The proposed settlement covers people whose information was compromised in the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program data incident. Class members can claim monitoring plus up to $5,000 for identity theft losses, up to $500 for other losses, or a $40 cash payment, by October 27, 2026. The court has not yet approved it.
Benefit Summary
Group 1: Social Security number possibly exposed: Covered people whose Social Security number may have been compromised, as identified by the administrator.
Simple cash payment only: Choose $40 without loss documents. This replaces every other payment and monitoring benefit; it cannot be added to them.
Eligible losses, time and monitoring: These benefits can combine when their individual eligibility and claim requirements are met. Ordinary breach-related expenses and lost time share a $500 ceiling. Expenses need outside proof and must fall between December 12, 2024 and October 27, 2026, without prior reimbursement. Time is paid at $20 per hour for up to four hours ($80), with a task-and-time explanation. The $80 is included in the $500, not added on top. Separately claim documented identity-theft or fraud losses from December 12, 2024 through October 27, 2026. Show the breach probably caused the loss and that you tried to prevent or recover it, including through available insurance. Do not count ordinary expenses again or seek repayment of an already reimbursed loss. Group 1 can receive two years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete, including financial-fraud monitoring and insurance. The included $1 million insurance coverage is not a cash payment. Monitoring can accompany eligible loss/time claims or be requested alone within this package.
Choose one of these benefit packages; they are alternatives for this group.
Group 2: Social Security number not exposed: Covered people whose Social Security number was not compromised, as identified by the administrator.
Simple cash payment only: Choose $40 without loss documents. This replaces every other payment and monitoring benefit; it cannot be added to them.
Eligible losses, time and monitoring: These benefits can combine when their individual eligibility and claim requirements are met. Ordinary breach-related expenses and lost time share a $500 ceiling. Expenses need outside proof and must fall between December 12, 2024 and October 27, 2026, without prior reimbursement. Time is paid at $20 per hour for up to four hours ($80), with a task-and-time explanation. The $80 is included in the $500, not added on top. Separately claim documented identity-theft or fraud losses from December 12, 2024 through October 27, 2026. Show the breach probably caused the loss and that you tried to prevent or recover it, including through available insurance. Do not count ordinary expenses again or seek repayment of an already reimbursed loss. Group 2 can receive two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete, including medical-identity monitoring and insurance. The included $1 million insurance coverage is not a cash payment. Monitoring can accompany eligible loss/time claims or be requested alone within this package.
Choose one of these benefit packages; they are alternatives for this group.
The notice does not state a total settlement fund. FWMEP pays court-approved legal fees, costs and representative awards. Payments await final approval and completion of appeals.
Available Awards
Group 1: Social Security number possibly exposed: $40 instead of other benefits OR Up to $500 expenses and time + Up to $5,000 fraud losses; Group 2: Social Security number not exposed: $40 instead of other benefits OR Up to $500 expenses and time + Up to $5,000 fraud losses
Who Is Included
You must be on the settlement class list and have had private information potentially compromised in the December 2024 incident. Monitoring depends on whether your Social Security number may have been exposed. Exclusions cover the assigned judge, court staff and immediate families; FWMEP and its related entities and representatives listed in notice Question 6; and people convicted of, or pleading no contest to, specified involvement in the attack.
- Proof required: The $40 option needs no loss documents or explanation, but still requires a signed claim. Expense and fraud claims need outside records tying the loss to the breach; your own notes alone are insufficient. Lost-time claims need a description of the tasks and time spent. The administrator checks which monitoring group you belong to.
Claim and Payment Information
- Claim method: Online, email or mail
- Claim deadline: 2026-10-27
- Instructions: Submit one signed claim with any supporting records online, by email to [email protected], or by mail to FWMEP Data Incident Settlement, c/o Settlement Administrator, PO Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958. Online and email claims are due October 27, 2026. Mailing note: the notice and portal say postmarked by that date, but the printable form says received by that date. Mail early and ask the administrator to clarify if this affects you; see the source comparison below.
Questions & Answers
Can I take $40 and also get monitoring?
No. The $40 option replaces all other cash and monitoring benefits. If you choose the other package, you can request the monitoring assigned to your group and any eligible expense, fraud-loss or lost-time payments. The claim form expressly tells you not to choose $40 when claiming any other benefit.
Which monitoring service will I receive?
The administrator uses FWMEP's records. Group 1, whose Social Security numbers may have been exposed, receives financial monitoring. Group 2 receives medical-identity monitoring. Both services last two years and include fraud-resolution help. They are not interchangeable choices.
If you do not know your group, ask Simpluris at (833) 296-0908 or [email protected]. A monitoring claim is still required; receiving a breach notice is not automatic enrollment.
How do the $500 expense limit and $80 time payment fit together?
You can request up to four hours at $20 per hour for tasks such as changing passwords or investigating suspicious activity. Describe each task and the time spent. Any time payment uses part of the same $500 limit as ordinary expenses. For example, an approved $80 time claim leaves at most $420 under that limit for ordinary expenses.
What makes a fraud-loss claim different?
Extraordinary losses are actual identity-theft or fraud losses, with a separate limit of $5,000. Show that the incident probably caused the loss and that you tried to avoid it or recover the money. Insurance and other available reimbursement efforts matter.
Both ordinary and extraordinary losses must fall between December 12, 2024 and October 27, 2026. Submit records rather than relying only on your own notes, and do not claim the same loss twice.
Does mailing by October 27 meet the deadline?
The retained notice, Question 10, and the official claim portal say a mailed claim must be postmarked by October 27, 2026. The printable claim form instead says the administrator must receive it by October 27. This page does not resolve that difference.
Mail early enough to arrive by the stated date, or confirm the rule with the administrator if the timing matters. The portal also accepts online and emailed claims by October 27. Do not submit duplicate claims through multiple methods.
Sources checked September 8, 2026: notice Question 10; https://fwmepdatasettlement.com/form/claim/ ; and claim form pages 1 and 4 at https://cw.simpluris.com/docs/public/downloads/FDC6/CLAIM_FORM .
What if I cannot find my LoginID and PIN?
The portal lets you ask for help using your full name and mailing address, and it also has a link to file without a LoginID and PIN. The paper form treats the Login ID as optional if known. Contact [email protected] for help rather than guessing credentials.
Online options and the form were checked September 8, 2026: https://fwmepdatasettlement.com/form/claim/ .
How will I receive my payment?
The official claim form offers PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, a virtual prepaid card or a mailed check. Keep your contact details current. Benefits are issued only after approval and resolution of appeals, with no firm payment date stated.
The Zelle section has a mislabeled email prompt referring to PayPal. If you use that section, ask the administrator which account details it needs. Source checked September 8, 2026: claim form page 8 at https://cw.simpluris.com/docs/public/downloads/FDC6/CLAIM_FORM .
How do I opt out?
Send a personally signed exclusion request identifying the case and providing your full name, mailing address, telephone number and email, with a clear statement that you want to leave. You can exclude only yourself. Mail to FWMEP Data Incident Settlement, ATTN: Exclusion Request, PO Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958, postmarked by October 27, 2026.
Notice Question 15 also mentions emailed requests, while the website's FAQ gives a mail/postmark instruction. Confirm the email procedure with the administrator before relying on it. Leaving means no settlement benefits, while retaining the right to pursue the covered claims separately. Sources checked September 8, 2026: notice Question 15 and https://fwmepdatasettlement.com/faq .
How do I object or ask to speak?
Stay in the class and file a complete objection with the court by October 27, 2026. Also send copies to the administrator and both sides' lawyers. Notice Question 16 gives all addresses and required details, including membership information, reasons, supporting records, lawyers, witnesses, prior objections and your signature.
State whether you or your lawyer intends to appear. A timely written objection can be considered without your attendance. Objecting does not prevent an otherwise valid benefit claim; opting out does.
When is the hearing and what fees are requested?
The hearing is scheduled for December 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in Room 316, 715 S. Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Check the official site for changes.
Counsel will seek $475,000 for fees and litigation costs, and $2,500 for each named representative. FWMEP pays the amounts the court approves. Those figures are not the amount available to each member or a stated total fund.
What happens if I do nothing?
You receive no benefit without a valid timely claim. Unless you opt out, the approved settlement still binds you and releases the covered claims against FWMEP. Read the settlement agreement's Releases section for the full scope.
Other Important Dates
- Exclusion deadline: 2026-10-27
- Objection deadline: 2026-10-27
- Final approval hearing: December 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time
- Hearing location: Room 316, 715 S. Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Case Details
- Case name: In re Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Incident Litigation
- Case number: 02D02-2510-CE-000038
- Court: Superior Court for Allen County, Indiana
- Administrator: Simpluris
- Official Settlement Website: https://fwmepdatasettlement.com/
Sources
Claim form, FAQ, deadlines, administrator information
Court-approved notice describing eligibility and benefits