Carhartt Data Breach Lawsuit, Were You Affected? — Sebastian v. Carhartt, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-13464-LJM-APP

If you’ve shopped at Carhartt, created an account, or worked there, a new federal lawsuit may involve you. Sebastian v. Carhartt, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-13464-LJM-APP, was filed September 11, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, weeks after a reported leak of Carhartt data. No settlement, payout or claim form has been reported as of October 5, 2026.

Carhartt Data Breach Lawsuit — Key Facts

Detail	What we know
Lawsuit Filed	September 11, 2026
Defendant	Carhartt, Inc.
Alleged Harm	Reported failure to properly secure and safeguard personal information, according to secondary reports of the complaint
Law Alleged	Reported claims include negligence, breach of implied contract and unjust enrichment, according to secondary reports. The complaint itself has not been reviewed for this article
Who Is Affected	The court has not defined a class
Court & Case Number	U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, No. 2:26-cv-13464-LJM-APP
Judges	Judge Laurie J. Michelson; Magistrate Judge Anthony P. Patti
Current Stage	Early stage. Complaint filed with a jury demand and a summons issued to Carhartt, Inc.
Lead Plaintiff Deadline	Not applicable (consumer case)
Settlement Status	None reported as of October 5, 2026
Docket Last Checked	October 5, 2026
Last Updated	October 5, 2026

Who Is Carhartt and Why Is It Being Sued?

Carhartt, Inc. is a workwear and apparel company based in Dearborn, Michigan. It sells through its own stores, its website and other retailers, so it holds customer and employee records. The lawsuit targets the company over claims that it did not adequately protect personal data, after a leak of Carhartt data was reported in August 2026.

If you’ve bought from Carhartt or been on its payroll, the company has records with your name on them.

What Happened: The Reported Carhartt Data Leak

Carhartt has not publicly confirmed a breach as of this writing. Independent reporting shows:

• On or around August 13, 2026, the extortion group ShinyHunters claimed it had stolen more than 50 GB of Carhartt data and published it online after ransom talks reportedly failed.
• Security researcher Troy Hunt reviewed the files for the Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) service and removed millions of synthetic records. HIBP added the incident in late August 2026 with about 12.9 million accounts.
• HIBP lists four types of data: email addresses, names, phone numbers and physical addresses.
• Carhartt did not respond to press requests for comment. ShinyHunters’ own claims, including the ransom figure, are unverified allegations by the group.

HIBP’s description of the verified records doesn’t list passwords, Social Security numbers or payment card data. Contact details alone can still be used for phishing and impersonation.

What Does the Lawsuit Say?

Cole Sebastian filed the complaint on September 11, 2026 and demanded a jury trial. The docket lists 28 U.S.C. § 1332 as the basis for federal jurisdiction, which covers certain disputes between parties from different states. The case is assigned to Judge Laurie J. Michelson, with Magistrate Judge Anthony P. Patti referred.

Secondary reports that summarize the filing say it alleges Carhartt failed to properly secure the personal information of nearly 13 million people after ShinyHunters said on or around August 13, 2026 that it had compromised Carhartt’s systems. The full complaint is not yet available in free public repositories and has not been reviewed for this article, so these are reported allegations, not findings. No class has been certified, and no ruling on the claims has been reported.

A second lawsuit, Barber et al. v. Carhartt, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-13167, was filed September 2, 2026 in the same court by Luke Barber, Bradley Moye and Harvey Salzberg. It is assigned to Judge Judith E. Levy, and the Sebastian filing flags it as a possible companion case.

Allegations in a complaint are claims, not proven facts. Carhartt hasn’t had its day in court.

Related article: Progress Residential Eviction Fees Settlement, Check If You Qualify — Johnsten v. Progress Residential, LLC, No. 2024-CA-001692

Are You Part of the Carhartt Lawsuit?

As of October 5, 2026, no court has decided who is included. Based only on publicly reported information about the leak, people who may be affected include:

• Customers or account holders whose name, email, phone number or address appeared in the published data
• People who gave contact details to Carhartt through purchases, accounts or loyalty programs
• Employees whose information was in the same data

This isn’t a legal class definition. It only describes who the reported leak may have touched. Anyone whose data Carhartt never held, or who falls outside limits the court sets later, may not be covered.

Carhartt Customers Outside Michigan — Are You Still Covered?

Filing in a Michigan federal court doesn’t make a class nationwide. The class definition decides who is covered, and none has been set. Check the docket when one is proposed.

Can Heirs, Businesses, or Households Be Part of the Carhartt Lawsuit?

No class has been defined, so the complaint and later court orders will control. Data breach classes usually cover individual people whose information was exposed. Whether the estate of someone who has died, a business, or several people sharing one email or household can take part depends on the definition once it exists. If you’ve moved or changed your name or email since dealing with Carhartt, keep your old contact details.

Not sure if you’re part of the Carhartt lawsuit? A free consultation with a data privacy attorney can help you understand your options.

Right now, the class that would decide your place in this case doesn’t exist on paper.

What Is the Plaintiff Asking the Court to Award?

The docket confirms a jury demand. Secondary reports say the plaintiff seeks class certification, damages, attorneys’ fees and costs. No dollar amount has been reported.

No money yet. No claim form yet.

What Could Class Members Receive If This Settles?

It’s impossible to predict. Any recovery depends on whether a class is certified, what evidence is developed, whether the sides settle and how a court allocates any fund. Data breach settlements that reach final approval often provide credit monitoring, modest cash payments, or both, but nothing is guaranteed here, and some cases end with nothing for the class.

Any site giving you a dollar amount for this case today is guessing.

What Should You Do Right Now?

1. Know there’s no sign-up. If a class is later certified, most members are included automatically. No lead plaintiff deadline applies to a consumer case.
2. Be wary of “join the lawsuit” websites. They’re usually law-firm intake forms, not court sign-ups.
3. Check whether your email was exposed. Search your email address on the Have I Been Pwned Carhartt entry.
4. Save your records. Keep order confirmations, account emails, loyalty statements, pay stubs or employment records, and any message from Carhartt about your information.
5. Watch for phishing. Be careful with fake “Carhartt refund” or order emails, texts and calls. Don’t click links; go to the website directly.
6. Write down any problems. Note the date of any suspicious charge, scam message or call, and the time you spent dealing with it.
7. Use the free protections. The Federal Trade Commission says a credit freeze is free and blocks new accounts in your name, and a fraud alert is free and lasts one year. If someone has used your identity, report it at IdentityTheft.gov. You can also get free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com.
8. Watch the docket. Search Sebastian v. Carhartt, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-13464, on CourtListener. Whether to pursue your own claim is a legal decision, so ask an attorney.

Ten minutes setting up a credit freeze costs nothing and works whether or not this case ever pays anyone.

Carhartt Data Breach Lawsuit — Full Timeline

Date	Event	Source
On or around August 13, 2026	ShinyHunters claims the attack and publishes data	Independent reporting
August 25–26, 2026	Have I Been Pwned adds the incident (about 12.9 million accounts after filtering)	Have I Been Pwned
September 2, 2026	Barber et al. v. Carhartt, Inc. filed	Court docket
September 11, 2026	Sebastian v. Carhartt, Inc. complaint filed with a jury demand	Court docket
September 11, 2026	Summons issued for Carhartt, Inc.	Court docket
September 23, 2026	Reassignment/disqualification entry	CourtListener docket summary
September 30 – October 1, 2026	Notice and appearance entries	CourtListener docket summary
None reported as of October 5, 2026	Carhartt public statement or breach notice
None reported as of October 5, 2026	Class certification
None reported as of October 5, 2026	Settlement

Carhartt Data Breach Lawsuit — Frequently Asked Questions, No. 2:26-cv-13464-LJM-APP

Is there a class action against Carhartt right now? 

A lawsuit is pending. Cole Sebastian filed it in the Eastern District of Michigan on September 11, 2026, and reports describe it as a proposed class action. No class has been certified.

Did Carhartt confirm a data breach?

 Not as of October 5, 2026. The reported leak comes from the extortion group’s claims and Have I Been Pwned’s analysis of the published data.

What data was reportedly exposed?

 Names, email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses, according to Have I Been Pwned.

Do I need to do anything to be part of the Carhartt lawsuit?

 Not at this stage. People generally file nothing until a class is certified or a settlement sets up a claims process. No claim form has been reported.

When will the Carhartt lawsuit settle? 

Nobody can say. Many data breach cases take years, and some end without a payout.

Can I file my own lawsuit against Carhartt instead? 

Possibly, but that’s a legal decision with time limits that depend on your situation and the eventual class definition. A second case, Barber v. Carhartt, is also pending in the same court. A data privacy attorney can explain your options.

How will I find out if the case settles? 

Court-approved notice is typically emailed or mailed to class members and posted on an official settlement website once a settlement is preliminarily approved. We’ll update this page.

What does “lead plaintiff” mean, and does the deadline matter here? 

Cole Sebastian is the named plaintiff. A formal lead plaintiff deadline is a securities-case process, and none applies in this consumer case.

What laws does Carhartt allegedly violate?

 Secondary reports mention negligence, breach of implied contract and unjust enrichment. The complaint itself hasn’t been reviewed for this article. The docket lists 28 U.S.C. § 1332 as the basis for federal jurisdiction, which explains why the case is in federal court, not what Carhartt is accused of.

How much could class members get if it settles?

 No amount is set and no class has been certified. Any per-person figure today would be a guess.

Sources Used in This Carhartt Data Breach Article

• Docket — Sebastian v. Carhartt, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-13464 (E.D. Mich.), CourtListener: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74780947/sebastian-v-carhartt-inc/
• Docket — Sebastian v. Carhartt, Inc., Justia docket mirror: https://dockets.justia.com/docket/michigan/miedce/2:2026cv13464/398070
• Companion docket — Barber et al. v. Carhartt, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-13167 (E.D. Mich.), CourtListener: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74741822/barber-v-carhartt-inc/
• Data breach tracker — Have I Been Pwned, Carhartt entry: https://haveibeenpwned.com/Breach/Carhartt
• News report — The Register, “Carhartt data breach affects 12.9M, half of what ShinyHunters claimed”: https://www.theregister.com/a/5292626
• News report — BleepingComputer, Carhartt data breach report (August 27, 2026): https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/carhartt-data-breach-exposes-information-of-129-million-accounts/
• Court opinion — Carhartt, Inc. v. Innovative Textiles, Inc., E.D. Mich., used only for Carhartt’s location: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-mied-5_17-cv-13604
• Government source — Federal Trade Commission, “Credit freeze or fraud alert: which is right for you”: https://consumer.ftc.gov/credit-freeze-or-fraud-alert-right-you
• Complaint — Sebastian v. Carhartt, Inc., Filing 1: not reviewed (available via PACER)

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. Facts checked against federal docket records, Have I Been Pwned, press reporting and FTC consumer guidance on October 5, 2026. This article has not been checked against the full complaint, and we’ll update it when we’ve reviewed it. Last Updated: October 5, 2026.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.