Californians are receiving $68.81 payments as part of a class-action settlement with Sutter Health. The lawsuit accused the healthcare provider of sharing patients' personal information without consent.
Sutter Health agreed to a $21.5 million settlement to resolve the case, though the company has denied any wrongdoing. Payments began on August 21 and are expected to continue through October 4.
To be eligible for a payment, individuals in California had to have logged into the Sutter Health MyHealthOnline patient portal between June 10, 2015, and March 20, 2020, and submitted a claim. The deadline to file a claim has passed, meaning those who did not submit one previously cannot receive funds from this settlement.
The final payout amount of $68.81 per claimant is lower than initially projected. Settlement administrators had anticipated payments could reach up to $90 per person, but the final amount was reduced due to a large number of eligible claims being submitted. Sutter Health serves approximately 3.6 million people, indicating a substantial pool of potentially eligible individuals.
Payments are being distributed through various methods, including Venmo, PayPal, and Zelle, with some recipients receiving traditional paper checks, depending on their selection during the claims process.