A significant settlement has been granted in a class action lawsuit concerning Canadian customers of the genetic testing company 23andMe who were impacted by a prior data breach. The approved settlement will allocate $3.25 million US to individuals in Canada affected by the breach, where hackers accessed customers’ data, including those in Canada, in 2023.
Sage Nematollahi, an attorney at Toronto’s KND Complex Litigation and the class counsel, expressed satisfaction with the outcome for the impacted Canadian customers. Last year, the U.S.-based 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to address remaining liabilities stemming from the 2023 data breach.
After the bankruptcy, the non-profit TTAM Research Institute acquired 23andMe’s assets for $305 million US. Nematollahi highlighted the significance of the settlement, noting that it is a pioneering instance of a Canadian class action being resolved during a Chapter 11 insolvency proceeding.
The settlement funds are accessible to any individual who was a 23andMe customer between May 1, 2023, and Oct. 1, 2023, living in Canada at the time of the breach, and who received notification of being impacted and did not opt out of the settlement. Claims for compensation must be submitted by June 25, 2026, before 11:59 p.m. PT. Instructions for submitting a claim form can be found on the Canadian settlement website.