AT&T Hit With $177 Million Class Action Lawsuit, Claim Your Share of the Settlement Before December 18 the New Deadline
AT&T faces a $177 million class action settlement after two massive data breaches in 2024 exposed personal information of over 73 million customers. You must file your claim by December 18, 2025—the deadline was extended by one month from November 18. The court consolidated both incidents into a single multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of Texas before Judge Ada E. Brown, with a final approval hearing scheduled for January 15, 2026.
What AT&T Class Actions Protect and Current Legal Status
Class actions allow many people with similar claims to have their rights decided in a single court proceeding, avoiding the need for thousands of individual lawsuits. The March 2024 incident put customer data including Social Security numbers, addresses, and account passcodes on the dark web. The July 2024 breach involved unauthorized downloads from AT&T’s third-party cloud platform hosted by Snowflake.
Since June 2024, all 133 AT&T data breach lawsuits filed in federal courts nationwide have been centralized in the Northern District of Texas under Judge Ada E. Brown for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings. AT&T denies wrongdoing and has not been found liable by any court, but agreed to settle to avoid extended litigation.
How AT&T Class Action Lawsuits Work
AT&T agreed in March 2025 to settle both data incidents together, with plaintiffs filing a Consolidated Class Action Complaint on May 30, 2025. The settlement creates two distinct classes based on which breach affected you.
The AT&T 1 Settlement Class covers living persons in the United States whose data elements were included in the March 30, 2024 incident. The AT&T 2 Settlement Class includes account owners or line users whose call records were involved in the July 12, 2024 incident.
Out of 2 million settlement class members, only 1,556 opted out and 15 objected, showing consumers have positively received the proposed settlement.
How to File Your Claim: Deadlines and Procedures
IMPORTANT: The claim deadline was extended to December 18, 2025. A judge granted a one-month extension in an October 3, 2025 order, moving the deadline from November 18 to December 18, 2025.
Where to File Your Claim:
- Online: www.TelecomDataSettlement.com (click “Submit Claim”)
- By Mail: AT&T Data Incident Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 5324, Portland, OR 97208-5324
- Helpline: (833) 890-4930
What You Need to File: You must provide your Class Member ID, email address, AT&T account number, or full name. The system will verify your eligibility and show whether you qualify for Tier 1 (SSN exposed) or Tier 2 payments.
Other Critical Deadlines:
- Opt-Out Deadline: November 17, 2025 (if you want to preserve your right to file a separate lawsuit)
- Objection Deadline: November 17, 2025 (if you disagree with the settlement terms)
- Final Approval Hearing: January 15, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CT
If the settlement becomes final and you don’t exclude yourself, you give up your right to sue AT&T separately over these breaches.
Payment Structure and Amounts
The $177 million fund divides into $149 million for the March breach and $28 million for the July breach. Customers affected by the March 2024 incident can receive up to $5,000 if they provide documentation of financial losses fairly traceable to the breach.
Tier 1 Cash Payments go to those whose Social Security numbers were exposed—these payments are five times higher than Tier 2 Cash Payments. Tier 2 Cash Payments cover customers whose data was exposed but not their Social Security numbers.
For the July breach, customers can claim documented losses up to $2,500 for losses occurring on or after April 14, 2024. Customers affected by both incidents could receive up to $7,500 total.
Those without documentation can claim pro rata shares of the remaining settlement funds after administrative costs and attorney fees.
Recent Court Rulings and Enforcement Actions
In a separate 2022 case, AT&T paid $14 million to resolve California class action claims over undisclosed administrative fees of $1.99 per phone line charged monthly. Judge Laurel Beeler rejected AT&T’s motion to dismiss, ruling that customers could pursue legal action even while remaining AT&T customers.
The court found each new bill triggered a new statute of limitations period, defeating AT&T’s argument that claims were time-barred. This established crucial precedent for ongoing consumer claims against telecommunications providers.
Settlement class members who are current AT&T subscribers receive payments as automatic credits to their accounts, while former customers receive checks by mail.
How AT&T Class Action Claims Succeed or Fail
AT&T’s customer service agreement includes an arbitration clause mandating disputes be resolved through arbitration rather than traditional court proceedings. This provision typically precludes class actions and jury trials for individual disputes.
However, multiple lawsuits filed in state and federal courts across the country after both data incidents were ultimately consolidated into two class-action cases. Courts allowed the class action to proceed because the breaches affected millions simultaneously.
Documentation proves critical. All customers seeking payment must provide documentation showing losses are fairly traceable to the AT&T data breaches. Claims without supporting evidence receive smaller pro rata payments from remaining funds.
Timeline of Key Developments
March 30, 2024: AT&T announces first data breach affecting 73 million customers July 12, 2024: Second breach disclosed involving third-party cloud platform June 2024: Cases consolidated into MDL in Northern District of Texas March 2025: Parties agree to settle both incidents together May 30, 2025: Consolidated Class Action Complaint filed August 4, 2025: Proposed settlement announced November 17, 2025: Opt-out and objection deadline December 18, 2025: Claims filing deadline January 15, 2026: Final approval hearing scheduled
Practical Implications for Affected Consumers
If the court approves the settlement at the January 15, 2026 hearing, appeals could delay payments. If approved without appeals, payments will likely begin within 90 days, meaning most eligible customers can expect payouts by April 2026.
Anyone in the United States who had their information or data accessed in the March 30, 2024 or July 12, 2024 breaches is eligible to file a claim. You don’t need to have suffered financial losses to receive payment—undocumented claims qualify for pro rata shares.
Administrative costs, attorneys’ fees (up to one-third of settlement funds), and service awards to class representatives will be deducted before distribution. The actual amount per claimant depends on how many valid claims the settlement administrator receives.
What Distinguishes This Case from Other Telecommunications Litigation
Unlike the California administrative fee case that allowed AT&T to continue charging the contested fees, this data breach settlement focuses purely on compensation for privacy violations. The settlement doesn’t require AT&T to change security practices going forward.
Most customers can obtain financial compensation through the class action settlement, though individual arbitration claims could potentially result in more tailored compensation for specific damages.
The consolidated nature of this MDL streamlines resolution for millions of claimants who would otherwise face lengthy individual legal proceedings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I still file a claim if I’m no longer an AT&T customer?
Yes. Former AT&T customers whose information was compromised in either breach are eligible to file claims. Your claim eligibility depends on whether your data was exposed, not your current customer status.
Q: What is the current deadline to file a claim?
The deadline is December 18, 2025. This was extended from the original November 18, 2025 deadline by a judge’s order on October 3, 2025. You must submit your claim online at www.TelecomDataSettlement.com or mail it with a postmark by December 18, 2025.
Q: How do I know if my Social Security number was exposed in the March breach?
Check the settlement website at www.TelecomDataSettlement.com and click “submit claim.” Enter your Class Member ID, email address, AT&T account number, or full name to reveal your eligibility status. The system will indicate whether you qualify for Tier 1 (SSN exposed) or Tier 2 payments.
Q: Can I claim from both breaches if I was affected twice?
Yes. There is a possibility some people are part of both breaches and are referred to as “Overlap Settlement Class Members.” These individuals must file two separate claims but can receive payments from both settlements, potentially totaling $7,500.
Q: When will I receive my payment?
Not until January 2026 at the earliest. It also takes time for all claim forms to be processed. If appeals are filed, distribution could be delayed by up to six months or longer.
Q: What documentation do I need for a documented loss claim?
For documented loss payments, you’ll need proof linking your losses to the breach, such as bills, receipts, notices, or identity theft costs. Losses must have occurred in 2019 or later for the March breach, or April 14, 2024 or later for the July breach.
Q: Can I opt out and file my own lawsuit instead?
You have until November 17, 2025, to opt out of the settlement to preserve your right to file a separate lawsuit. However, individual litigation against a major corporation typically requires significant legal resources and carries substantial risk.
Related Articles:
- Consumer Protection Attorney Who Handles Identity Theft Cases
- Should I Hire a Lawyer for Identity Theft
- Identity Theft Lawyer Cost
Official Resources:
- AT&T Data Incident Settlement Website: www.TelecomDataSettlement.com
- Settlement Administrator Helpline: (833) 890-4930
- Court Records: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Case No. 3:24-md-03114-E
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult an attorney specializing in consumer law or telecommunications law for specific legal guidance regarding your individual situation and potential claims.
About the Author
Sarah Klein, JD, is a licensed attorney and legal content strategist with over 12 years of experience across civil, criminal, family, and regulatory law. At All About Lawyer, she covers a wide range of legal topics — from high-profile lawsuits and courtroom stories to state traffic laws and everyday legal questions — all with a focus on accuracy, clarity, and public understanding.
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