Chimienti & Associates Data Breach Settlement, Check If You Qualify — David Fonseca v. Chimienti & Associates, No. VCU315048

There’s up to $100 waiting for you, no receipts required, if your information was exposed in the March 2024 Chimienti & Associates data breach. Chimienti agreed to pay $650,000 to settle David Fonseca v. Chimienti & Associates, No. VCU315048, and you have until December 28, 2026 to file. Documented losses can pay up to $5,000.

Chimienti & Associates Data Breach Settlement — Key Facts

Field	Detail
Settlement Amount	$650,000.00
Claim Deadline	December 28, 2026
Who Qualifies	All living individuals residing in the United States whose Private Information was impacted in the March 2024 data incident
Estimated Payout	Up to $100 (Cash Payment B, pro rata) or up to $5,000 for documented losses (Cash Payment A), plus two years of credit monitoring
Proof Required	No for the $100 option. Yes for documented losses
Settlement Status	Proposed. Final Approval Hearing set for January 12, 2027
Court & Case Number	Superior Court of Tulare County, California. David Fonseca v. Chimienti & Associates, Case No. VCU315048
Law Alleged	UNVERIFIED — the settlement website doesn’t list the specific laws the plaintiffs invoked
Administrator	Simpluris
Official Claim Site	chimientidatasettlement.com/form/claim
Last Updated	September 24, 2026

Who Is Chimienti & Associates and Why Are They Being Sued for a Data Breach?

Chimienti & Associates is based in Visalia, California, and Strauss Borrelli PLLC, one of the Class Counsel firms, describes it as a provider of employer-paid and voluntary benefit programs. Its own breach notice says the exposed data sat in a single internal email account, and the settlement website lists Social Security numbers, financial account details and health information among the possible contents. Did a Chimienti letter arrive?

What Did Chimienti & Associates Do to Affected Individuals Between March 22 and March 26, 2024?

Chimienti spotted trouble on March 22, 2024. An investigation found that an unauthorized actor “viewed and/or copied data from the email account” through March 26, 2024, according to the notice Chimienti filed with the California Attorney General. Chimienti says it confirmed on October 11, 2024 whose information was in that inbox.

The lawsuit alleges that files holding private information may have been accessed in a targeted cyberattack. Chimienti denies wrongdoing. The court hasn’t decided who’s right, and the settlement website doesn’t name the laws the plaintiffs invoked.

One thing I noticed in the paperwork: claims go to P.O. Box 25226 in Santa Ana, the same box used in the Alera Group $2M Settlement, File Your Claim By June 29. Simpluris runs both. That’s more than 27 months between the March 2024 breach and the July 2, 2026 notice mailing, so the two years of monitoring may matter more than the $100.

Who Qualifies for the Chimienti & Associates Data Breach Settlement?

Do you qualify for the Chimienti settlement? Here’s exactly how to tell whether this case includes you, and who it leaves out entirely.

• Living individuals residing in the United States whose Private Information was impacted in the March 2024 data incident
• Recipients of the settlement notice mailed starting July 2, 2026

Who does NOT qualify:

• Chimienti’s directors, officers and employees
• The assigned judge, the judge’s immediate family and court staff
• Anyone who timely and validly opts out

Your class action settlement eligibility comes down to whether your information was in that inbox. If your name is in Chimienti’s records, you don’t need to prove anything. You just have to file to get paid.

Chimienti & Associates Class Members Outside California — Are You Still Covered?

Yes. The case is in a California state court, but the class covers everyone residing in the United States, so a class member in Texas gets the same benefits as one in Visalia.

Not sure if you qualify for the Chimienti & Associates data breach settlement? A free consultation with a data privacy attorney can help before the December 28, 2026 deadline.

How Much Can Chimienti & Associates Data Breach Settlement Class Members Get? Up to $5,000 Per Person

The $650,000.00 fund covers litigation costs, credit monitoring and cash payments. Every class member can claim two years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete, with a $1 million insurance benefit, plus one cash option. Here’s the breakdown.

Chimienti Payout With Proof — Up to $5,000

Cash Payment A pays up to $5,000.00 for documented losses between March 22, 2024 and December 28, 2026, including identity theft losses, credit report or freeze fees, replacement IDs and postage to contact banks. You need receipts or similar records. Our Identity Theft section covers the wider picture if you’re weighing an identity theft lawsuit.

Chimienti Payout Without Proof — Up to $100

Cash Payment B is a one-time pro rata payment of up to $100.00, and you don’t have to prove or explain anything. You can’t take both. The Fidelity $2.5M Data Breach Settlement, File Before July 27 used the same $100 or $5,000 structure.

What Pro-Rata Means for Your Chimienti Check

There’s a $650,000.00 cap on all benefits, and if total claims run higher, everyone’s payment shrinks to fit. More filers means smaller checks.

Here’s the math. Class Counsel will ask the court for up to 33.33% of the fund, or $216,666.66, plus litigation costs, and $2,500 service awards for each of five class representatives, or $12,500 in all. That leaves $420,833.34 if the court grants both, and dividing by $100 gives 4,208 flat claims before checks start to shrink.

The administrator hasn’t published a payment method or date, and payments over $600 may appear on a 1099, so check with a tax professional. The attorneys’ share comes out first. That’s normal, but worth knowing before you decide the payout is worth your time.

How to File Your Chimienti & Associates Data Breach Settlement Claim — Step by Step

1. Go to chimientidatasettlement.com/form/claim.
2. Log in with the LoginID and PIN printed on your notice. Lost it? Email [email protected] with your full name and mailing address.
3. Choose your credit monitoring and one cash option, A or B.
4. If you picked A, upload proof of your losses, such as receipts. Your own declaration isn’t enough by itself.
5. Submit and save your confirmation.
6. Prefer paper? Mail the claim form and any proof to Chimienti Data Incident Settlement, c/o Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958, postmarked by December 28, 2026.

Takes a few minutes. December 28, 2026 is 95 days from today, September 24, 2026, and for a filing this short there’s no good reason to wait.

Should Chimienti & Associates Class Members Opt Out or Object Before December 14, 2026?

What Opting Out of the Chimienti Settlement Actually Means

Opting out means no payment and no credit monitoring, but you keep your right to sue Chimienti on your own. Don’t do it without legal advice. Mail your request, postmarked by December 14, 2026, to the exclusion address and wording in Question 15 of the official FAQ.

How to Object to the Chimienti Settlement

Objecting keeps you in the class. File it with the Clerk of the Court, 640 South Alta Avenue, Dinuba, CA 93618, by December 14, 2026, and mail copies to the administrator, Class Counsel and Chimienti’s lawyers. Question 16 of the FAQ lists the required items.

You can’t object if you opt out. Talk to a class action lawsuit attorney before December 14, 2026 if you’re considering either option.

Chimienti & Associates Data Breach Settlement — Key Dates, 2026

Milestone	Date
Breach Period	March 22 to March 26, 2024
Settlement Proposed	UNVERIFIED — not shown on the settlement website
Claims Period Opens	UNVERIFIED — notice mailing began July 2, 2026, but no opening date is posted
Claim Filing Deadline	December 28, 2026
Opt-Out Deadline	December 14, 2026
Objection Deadline	December 14, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	January 12, 2027, 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time, Department 02, 640 South Alta Avenue, Dinuba, CA 93618
Expected Payment Date	UNVERIFIED — payments follow final approval and any appeals; no date is published

Chimienti & Associates Data Breach — Frequently Asked Questions, No. VCU315048

Do I need a lawyer to file a Chimienti & Associates data breach settlement claim?

No. You file directly with Simpluris at no cost. Court-appointed Class Counsel are paid from the $650,000.00 fund, not by you, though you can hire your own lawyer at your own expense.

Is the Chimienti & Associates data breach settlement legitimate?

Yes. The Superior Court of Tulare County authorized the notice, and Simpluris runs the claims site. It isn’t final, though: the court rules on approval January 12, 2027, and Chimienti denies wrongdoing.

When will Chimienti & Associates settlement payments be sent?

No date is published. Payments go out only if the court grants final approval at the January 12, 2027 hearing and any appeals are resolved, and the administrator asks for patience.

What if I missed the Chimienti & Associates claim deadline?

You haven’t missed it yet. The deadline is December 28, 2026, and mailed forms must be postmarked by then. Miss it and you get no benefits, and you’re still bound by the release unless you opt out by December 14, 2026.

Will my Chimienti & Associates settlement payment go on a 1099?

Payments over $600 may appear on a 1099, so check with a tax professional. In this settlement, the $100 option falls below that mark, but a documented-loss payment could exceed it.

Do I need proof to get the $100 Chimienti & Associates payment?

No. Cash Payment B requires no proof or explanation and pays up to $100.00 once. You can’t pair it with Cash Payment A, and everyone’s payment shrinks if claims exceed the $650,000.00 cap.

How do I file a Chimienti & Associates settlement claim if I lost my notice?

Email [email protected] with your full name and mailing address to request a LoginID and PIN, or call (833) 421-7301. A paper claim form works too, if postmarked by December 28, 2026.

File Your Chimienti & Associates Claim Before December 28, 2026

This settlement pays up to $100 with no proof, or up to $5,000 with receipts. Want more like it? Browse our Data Breach coverage, starting with the ModMed Data Breach Settlement, $2.99M Fund, Claim by November 2, 2026, which closes first.

Sources Used in This Chimienti & Associates Data Breach Article

• Settlement Administrator (Simpluris) — Settlement website home page, September 24, 2026: https://chimientidatasettlement.com/
• Settlement Administrator (Simpluris) — Frequently Asked Questions, September 24, 2026: https://chimientidatasettlement.com/faq/
• Settlement Administrator (Simpluris) — Claim Form Login page, September 24, 2026: https://chimientidatasettlement.com/form/claim
• Settlement Administrator (Simpluris) — Important Dates, September 24, 2026: https://chimientidatasettlement.com/dates/
• Settlement Administrator (Simpluris) — Contact page, September 24, 2026: https://chimientidatasettlement.com/contact/
• California Attorney General — Chimienti & Associates breach notification listing, October 24, 2024: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-593846
• California Attorney General — Chimienti notice of data breach (sample letter): https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/Chimienti%20-%20Notice%20of%20Data%20Event%20-%20CA_0.pdf
• Strauss Borrelli PLLC (Class Counsel firm) — Chimienti & Associates Data Breach Investigation, October 25, 2024: https://straussborrelli.com/2024/10/25/chimienti-associates-data-breach-investigation/

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the official settlement website (chimientidatasettlement.com) and the California Attorney General’s breach filing on September 24, 2026. Last Updated: September 24, 2026.

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.