Cornwell Quality Tools Settlement $50 Or Up To $5K

The Cornwell Quality Tools Company has agreed to a class action settlement over a December 2024 cyberattack, announced in September 2025, that may have exposed sensitive personal information of people across the United States. If you were affected, you can claim either a $50 cash payment with no proof of loss or up to $5,000 for documented losses and time spent dealing with the incident. You can also request two years of identity monitoring with $1 million in identity-theft insurance.

The claim deadline is January 25, 2027. The deadline to opt out or object is earlier, on December 28, 2026, and the final approval hearing is January 28, 2027.

The settlement resolves Cox, et al. v. The Cornwell Quality Tools Company, Case No. 2026CIV0649, in the Medina County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio. Cornwell denies wrongdoing and the court has not decided who is right. The settlement is proposed and awaits final approval.

Official settlement website: CQTCyberSettlement.com File a claim online: Official claim form

Cornwell Quality Tools Settlement: Quick Facts

Detail	Verified information
Company	The Cornwell Quality Tools Company
Lawsuit	Cox, et al. v. The Cornwell Quality Tools Company
Case number	2026CIV0649
Court	Medina County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio
Judge	William F. Hutson
Data incident	December 11–22, 2024
Public breach announcement	September 2025
Settlement type	Claims-made; Cornwell pays all valid claims; no fixed fund divided among claimants
Alternative cash payment	$50, no proof of loss required
Documented-loss reimbursement	Up to $5,000 combined, including lost time
Lost-time payment	$20 per hour for up to 3 hours (maximum $60)
Identity monitoring	Two years of CyEx Financial Shield three-bureau monitoring
Identity-theft insurance	Up to $1 million
Claim deadline	January 25, 2027
Opt-out deadline	December 28, 2026
Objection deadline	December 28, 2026
Final approval hearing	January 28, 2027, 9 a.m.
Official settlement website	CQTCyberSettlement.com
Online claim form	cqtcybersettlement.com/form/claim
Settlement administrator	Simpluris
Administrator phone and email	(833) 296-0950; [email protected]
Class counsel	Terence R. Coates, Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC
Status	Proposed settlement; final approval pending

The $5,000 is the maximum an individual can claim, not the size of a fund. The official website does not identify a fixed total amount.

Who Qualifies for the Cornwell Quality Tools Settlement?

The class is all individuals in the United States whose private information was potentially affected by the data incident Cornwell publicly announced in September 2025, including everyone who was sent a notice letter. You do not have to prove your identity was stolen.

Excluded are Cornwell and related entities, officers and directors; anyone who validly opts out; the assigned judges and their immediate family; federal, state and local governments and agencies; and anyone found criminally responsible for the incident.

What if you never received a Cornwell breach notice?

The class is not limited to people who got a letter, but do not assume you qualify just because you once bought Cornwell tools or worked with the company. Ask the administrator to check.

Phone: (833) 296-0950 Email: [email protected]

How Much Money Can You Get From the Cornwell Quality Tools Settlement?

You choose between two cash benefits and can add identity monitoring to either one.

Option 1: $50 cash with no receipts

Eligible class members can claim a flat $50 alternative cash payment. No invoices, bank statements, lost-time attestation or proof of identity theft are required, though you must still file a valid claim and be eligible.

Option 2: up to $5,000 for documented losses and lost time

Instead of the $50, you can seek reimbursement of up to $5,000 in total for qualifying losses and time. Covered expenses must be fairly traceable to the incident and unreimbursed. The official FAQ lists:

Bank fees
Certain phone and data charges
Postage
Gasoline for local travel
Credit reports
Credit monitoring or other identity-theft insurance products

You need third-party documentation such as receipts, invoices, bank or credit-card statements, emails or phone records. A personal statement can add context but is not enough on its own. You cannot be reimbursed for money someone else has already repaid.

Can you claim both $50 and $5,000?

No. The two cash options are mutually exclusive.

Benefit combination	Allowed?
$50 cash + identity monitoring	Yes
Documented losses (up to $5,000) + identity monitoring	Yes
$50 cash + documented-loss reimbursement	No
Lost time + documented losses	Yes, within the combined $5,000 cap

Can you be paid for time spent dealing with the Cornwell data breach?

Yes. You can request $20 per hour for up to three hours, a maximum of $60, for time spent on things like reviewing financial records, contacting banks, handling suspected fraud, changing account details or monitoring accounts. You must sign an attestation under penalty of perjury describing how you spent the time. Lost time counts toward the $5,000 cap and cannot be combined with the $50 payment.

For example, two qualifying hours and $200 in approved expenses could mean a $240 request. That is an illustration, not a guaranteed amount.

What identity monitoring does the settlement include?

Eligible class members can request two years of CyEx Financial Shield three-bureau monitoring and fraud protection, with identity-theft insurance of up to $1 million, subject to policy terms. A claim is required. Monitoring is not activated automatically because you received a breach letter.

How Do You File a Cornwell Quality Tools Settlement Claim?

The only way to receive benefits is to submit a valid claim form by January 25, 2027.

Online

Go to CQTCyberSettlement.com/form/claim.
Enter the Login ID and PIN printed on your settlement notice.
Confirm your eligibility and contact information.
Choose the $50 payment or reimbursement for documented losses and lost time.
Request identity monitoring if you want it.
Upload proof if you claim expenses.
Submit and keep your confirmation.

Online deadline: January 25, 2027.

By mail

Download the official claim form, complete and sign it, include required documents, and mail it to:

CQT Data Incident Settlement c/o Settlement Administrator P.O. Box 25226 Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958

It must be postmarked by January 25, 2027.

What if you lost your Login ID or PIN?

Call (833) 296-0950 or email [email protected] and explain that you may qualify for the Cox settlement but cannot find your credentials. Do not use credentials from someone else’s notice or from Cornwell’s older settlement.

Cornwell Quality Tools Data Breach Settlement, Claim $50 or Up to $5,000 by January 25, 2027

What Happened in the Cornwell Quality Tools Data Breach?

According to the settlement FAQ, the plaintiffs allege an unauthorized third party accessed certain Cornwell systems between December 11 and December 22, 2024. Cornwell’s September 4, 2025 notice says it noticed unusual network activity on December 20, 2024, hired outside cybersecurity specialists, and found potential unauthorized access to or acquisition of files on or around December 12. It then reviewed the files to identify who needed notice and sent letters in September 2025.

What personal information may have been exposed?

A notification Cornwell filed with the Washington Attorney General lists:

Names
Social Security numbers
Financial account numbers
Individual taxpayer identification numbers
Driver’s license numbers
Health insurance information

The filing reported 3,170 Washington residents affected. That is a Washington-only number, not the nationwide class size. What was involved can differ from person to person. Cornwell also said it notified law enforcement, retained cybersecurity experts and added security measures.

Source: Washington Attorney General breach notification

Why Was The Cornwell Quality Tools Company Sued?

The plaintiffs allege Cornwell was negligent in how it protected sensitive information and that the incident created risks of identity theft, fraud and financial harm. A related consolidated federal case, Cox v. Cornwell Quality Tools Company, No. 1:25-cv-01913, was filed in the Northern District of Ohio in September 2025. Its docket shows an amended consolidated complaint in November 2025 and mediation scheduling in January 2026. The current settlement is administered in the later Ohio state-court case, No. 2026CIV0649.

Cornwell denies wrongdoing. The settlement is not a finding that Cornwell caused the incident through negligence.

Which Laws Apply to the Cornwell Quality Tools Data Breach?

Ohio data breach notification law (R.C. § 1349.19)

Ohio Revised Code § 1349.19 requires covered businesses to notify Ohio residents of breaches of certain personal information, generally within 45 days of discovering the breach, subject to its definitions and exceptions. The Cornwell case is a private civil suit alleging weak data security, not a ruling that the company violated every notification statute.

Ohio Data Protection Act (R.C. §§ 1354.01–1354.05)

This Ohio law gives businesses a legal defense against certain tort claims if they maintained a written cybersecurity program that follows a recognized framework. A defendant in a case like this may raise it, though the settlement ended that debate.

Ohio Rule of Civil Procedure 23

Because the case is in Ohio state court, Civil Rule 23 governs the class action. A class settlement needs court approval after notice and a hearing, and the judge must decide it is fair, reasonable and adequate. That is the purpose of the January 28, 2027 hearing.

Washington data breach law (RCW 19.255.010)

Cornwell filed its notice with the Washington Attorney General under this statute, which requires notice to affected Washington residents and to the Attorney General when a breach affects more than 500 Washingtonians.

California breach notification and privacy laws

California Civil Code § 1798.82 requires breach notice to California residents, and the California Attorney General has a posted Cornwell breach report. California’s Consumer Privacy Act (Civil Code § 1798.150) also gives certain California residents a private right to sue over some data breaches, which is separate from this settlement.

Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.)

The FCRA gives you rights to fraud alerts, free security freezes (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1), and disputes of wrong credit information. Report identity theft to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov.

A settlement claim is separate from reporting suspected identity theft to law enforcement or consumer authorities.

Are There Two Cornwell Quality Tools Data Breach Settlements?

Yes, and this is easy to mix up. An earlier settlement involved a separate September 2022 incident: Felger v. The Cornwell Quality Tools Company, No. 2025CIV0456, also in Medina County, Ohio. The current settlement covers the December 2024 incident under Cox, No. 2026CIV0649.

Detail	Earlier *Felger* settlement	Current *Cox* settlement
Underlying incident	September 2022	December 2024
Court case number	2025CIV0456	2026CIV0649
Settlement website	Older, separate site	CQTCyberSettlement.com
Claim deadline	Do not apply the new deadline	January 25, 2027

A notice tied only to the 2022 incident does not automatically make you eligible for the 2024 settlement, which matters if you got more than one letter from Cornwell.

What Are the Opt-Out, Objection and Claim Deadlines?

Action	Deadline
Exclude yourself (opt out)	December 28, 2026
Object	December 28, 2026
Submit a claim	January 25, 2027
Final approval hearing	January 28, 2027, 9 a.m.

How to opt out of the Cornwell settlement

Mail a signed request that names the Cox case, gives your contact details and says you want to be excluded. The FAQ asks for “Requests for Exclusion” at the top or a clear statement of intent. Mail it by December 28, 2026, to the administrator marked ATTN: Exclusion Request. Opting out means no benefits, but you keep any individual legal rights the settlement would release.

How to object to the Cornwell settlement

An objection tells the court why you think the settlement should not be approved. It must meet the detailed rules in the official FAQ and be filed or postmarked by December 28, 2026. Among those rules, the FAQ asks objectors to disclose whether they or their lawyers used artificial intelligence to prepare the objection. You can object and still file a claim, but you cannot both opt out and keep a valid objection.

What do you give up by staying in the settlement?

If you stay in and do not opt out, you release claims against Cornwell and related parties arising from the data incident and cannot sue them separately over it.

When Will Cornwell Quality Tools Settlement Payments Be Sent?

No payment date has been announced. Judge William F. Hutson will hold the final approval hearing on January 28, 2027, at 9 a.m. at the Medina County Courthouse, 225 East Washington Street, Medina, OH 44256. Payments follow only after final approval, the settlement becomes final after any appeals, and the administrator validates claims. January 28 is a hearing date, not a payment date.

How Much Are the Attorneys Requesting in the Cornwell Settlement?

Class counsel, Terence R. Coates of Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, will request attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses of no more than $500,000. The eight class representatives may each seek a $2,000 service award, for a total of $16,000. These amounts are paid by Cornwell separately and do not reduce what valid claimants receive. The judge decides whether to approve them.

How Does the Cornwell Settlement Compare With Other Data Breach Settlements?

Each settlement has its own benefits and rules, and qualifying for one does not make you eligible for another.

Grayback Forestry Data Breach Class Action Settlement, $65 Cash or Up to $5,000, Plus 3 Years of Credit Monitoring offers a $65 alternative payment and three years of monitoring.
Lowe Engineers Data Breach Settlement, $50 Cash or Up to $5,500 in Documented Losses, Plus Two Years of Credit Monitoring involves a separate December 2024 incident with a higher reimbursement limit.
Case Foods Data Breach Class Action Settlement, $45 Cash or Up to $2,000 for Affected Individuals has a different set of cash and monitoring benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Cornwell Quality Tools Settlement

Is the Cornwell Quality Tools data breach settlement legitimate?

Yes. It is documented through the court-authorized website and the Medina County case, Cox v. The Cornwell Quality Tools Company, No. 2026CIV0649.

How much money can I get from the Cornwell settlement?

You can claim $50 with no proof of loss, or up to $5,000 for qualifying documented losses and lost time.

Do I need receipts for the $50 payment?

No. The alternative cash payment needs no receipts and no lost-time attestation.

Can I get both $50 and up to $5,000?

No. You must choose one cash option.

Can I get the $50 payment and identity monitoring?

Yes. Monitoring can be added to either cash option, but you must file a claim to get it.

Do I have to prove someone stole my identity?

No, not for the $50 payment, as long as you are otherwise eligible.

What is the Cornwell settlement claim deadline?

January 25, 2027.

Can former employees or franchisees qualify?

Possibly, if their information was affected by the covered incident and they fit the class definition. Employment or franchise status alone does not decide it.

What if I never received a settlement notice?

Contact the administrator to check whether you are included and to get help filing.

Is this the same as the 2022 Cornwell breach settlement?

No. This Cox settlement covers the December 2024 incident, not the earlier Felger case.

Has the Cornwell settlement received final approval?

Not as of November 13, 2026. The hearing is set for January 28, 2027.

When will Cornwell settlement payments arrive?

After final approval, once the settlement is final and valid claims are processed. No date has been announced.

Bottom Line

The Cornwell Quality Tools settlement gives eligible U.S. residents a clear choice: $50 with no proof of loss, or up to $5,000 for documented losses and time spent responding to the breach, plus two years of identity monitoring. File by January 25, 2027, and act by December 28, 2026 if you want to opt out or object. Make sure your notice is about the December 2024 breach and not Cornwell’s 2022 incident, and use only the official website and administrator.

Sources and Official Documents

Disclaimer: This is general legal information, not legal advice. The settlement is proposed and awaits final court approval, and its official documents control your rights.

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the official settlement website run by the administrator (CQTCyberSettlement.com), including its FAQ and important dates, Cornwell’s September 2025 breach notification filed with the Washington Attorney General, and the federal docket, as of November 13, 2026. Last Updated: November 13, 2026.

About the Author

Israr Ahmad is a legal content researcher with 4+ years of experience covering class action settlements and consumer rights cases. He has researched and published coverage of 2,500+ settlements using verified court records, settlement administrator filings, and government sources. Learn more about Israr.