Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Breach Settlement, Check If You Qualify — In re FWMEP Data Incident Litigation, No. 02D02-2510-CE-000038

Did you get a notice from FWMEP about a data breach in December 2024? You may be able to claim up to $5,000, plus monitoring services, from a class action settlement. Fort Wayne Medical Education Program agreed to settle In re Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Incident Litigation, No. 02D02-2510-CE-000038, over a cyberattack on its systems. Here’s how to check if you qualify and file before October 27, 2026.

FWMEP Data Breach Settlement — Key Facts

Detail	Info
Settlement Structure	Claims-made, no total fund cap — every valid claim gets paid at the stated rate
Claim Deadline	October 27, 2026
Who Qualifies	Anyone on the Settlement Class List whose Private Information was affected by the Dec. 2024 breach
Estimated Payout	Up to $500 (ordinary losses), up to $5,000 (extraordinary losses/fraud), or a flat $40 with no proof
Proof Required	Yes, for the $500 and $5,000 tiers. No, for the $40 flat payment
Settlement Status	Notices mailed Aug. 28, 2026; Final Approval Hearing pending
Court & Case Number	Superior Court for Allen County, Indiana — No. 02D02-2510-CE-000038
Law Alleged	Not itemized in the settlement notice; FWMEP denies wrongdoing
Administrator	Simpluris
Official Claim Site	fwmepdatasettlement.com
Last Updated	September 5, 2026

Who Is FWMEP and Why Are They Being Sued for the Data Breach?

FWMEP is a family medicine residency training program based in Fort Wayne, Indiana — the kind of organization that holds both patient medical records and employee personnel files in one place. That combination is exactly what a ransomware group calling itself Inc Ransom went after, claiming credit for the attack and posting a sample of stolen files to its leak site. FWMEP denies any wrongdoing.

What Did FWMEP Do to Patients and Employees in December 2024?

An unauthorized actor accessed FWMEP’s network between December 12 and December 17, 2024. In its own notice, FWMEP said it “discovered suspicious activity in our network” on December 17 and immediately secured its systems. Figuring out exactly whose files were involved took much longer: the file review wasn’t finished until September 9, 2025, according to a Maine Attorney General filing, and notice letters didn’t go out until October 2, 2025.

Here’s the part that’s easy to miss on the settlement site: there’s no capped fund here. FWMEP pays every valid claim at the rate the settlement sets — up to $500, up to $5,000, or $40 flat — rather than splitting one pool of money across everyone who files. Attorneys’ fees (up to $475,000) and $17,500 in Class Representative awards come out of FWMEP’s pocket separately, not out of what claimants get.

That’s the opposite of most data breach settlements, where filing late can shrink everyone’s check.

Who Qualifies for the FWMEP Data Breach Settlement?

Here’s exactly how to know if the FWMEP class action settlement includes you.

• Anyone named on the Settlement Class List whose Private Information was potentially compromised
• Patients and employees, plus employees’ dependents, notified about the December 2024 breach
• Group 1 members, whose Social Security number may have been affected
• Group 2 members, whose other private information was affected but not a Social Security number

You do not qualify if you’re FWMEP itself, court personnel on the case, or someone found criminally responsible for the attack.

FWMEP Patients Outside Indiana — Are You Still Covered?

Yes. Eligibility depends on whether your information was in the Data Incident, not where you live. If you’re on the Settlement Class List, your current state doesn’t change anything.

Not sure if you qualify? A free consultation with a data privacy attorney can help before October 27, 2026.

How Much Can FWMEP Data Breach Settlement Class Members Get?

Class members can claim up to $500 for documented ordinary losses — credit monitoring fees, ID replacement, postage — for expenses between December 12, 2024, and October 27, 2026. If you lost money to identity theft or fraud tied to the breach, you can claim up to $5,000 separately, with proof that you tried to recover the loss first. Lost time responding to the breach — up to 4 hours at $20 an hour — counts toward the $500 cap, not on top of it. Prefer no paperwork? Take a flat $40 instead of everything else.

Every class member can also claim two years of monitoring: CyEx Financial Shield Complete with $1 million in fraud insurance if your Social Security number was affected, or CyEx Medical Shield Complete with $1 million in medical identity theft insurance if it wasn’t.

How to File Your FWMEP Data Breach Settlement Claim — Step by Step

1. Go to fwmepdatasettlement.com/form/claim and file online, or download the Claim Form to mail in.
2. Choose your benefit: ordinary losses, extraordinary losses, lost time, or the flat $40 payment.
3. Attach proof for any documented claim — receipts, statements, records of your time spent.
4. Confirm whether you’re Group 1 or Group 2 if you’re claiming monitoring services.
5. Submit online, or mail to FWMEP Data Incident Settlement, P.O. Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958.
6. Save your confirmation and contact the administrator (833-296-0908) with questions.

Takes about 10 minutes. Deadline: October 27, 2026.

Should FWMEP Class Members Opt Out or Object Before October 27, 2026?

What Opting Out of the FWMEP Settlement Actually Means

Opting out means no settlement benefits, but you keep the right to sue FWMEP on your own. The deadline is October 27, 2026 — the same day as the claim and objection deadlines, so don’t wait to decide.

How to Object to the FWMEP Settlement

Objecting keeps you in the class while telling the court what you don’t like. File with the Clerk of Court in Fort Wayne and mail copies to Class Counsel and Defendant’s counsel, postmarked by October 27, 2026.

Talk to a class action lawsuit attorney before October 27, 2026 if you’re considering either option.

FWMEP Data Breach Settlement — Key Dates, 2026

Milestone	Date
Notification Mailing	August 28, 2026
Claim Filing Deadline	October 27, 2026
Opt-Out Deadline	October 27, 2026
Objection Deadline	October 27, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	December 7, 2026, 10:00 a.m. ET
Expected Payment Date	UNVERIFIED — pending final approval and any appeals

FWMEP Data Breach — Frequently Asked Questions, No. 02D02-2510-CE-000038

Do I need a lawyer to file an FWMEP data breach settlement claim?

 No. The online form at fwmepdatasettlement.com handles it, and Class Counsel already represents the class at no charge to you.

Is the FWMEP data breach settlement legitimate?

 Yes. It’s a real case, In re Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Incident Litigation, No. 02D02-2510-CE-000038, pending in Allen County, Indiana, and run by Simpluris under court supervision.

When will FWMEP settlement payments be sent?

 Not before the December 7, 2026 Final Approval Hearing, and only after any appeals resolve. No exact payment date has been posted.

What if I missed the FWMEP claim deadline?

 Claims submitted or postmarked after October 27, 2026 generally won’t be paid. Contact the administrator to check for any updates.

Is there a total dollar amount for the FWMEP settlement?

 No fixed total is disclosed. FWMEP pays each valid claim at the stated rate, plus $475,000 in attorneys’ fees and $17,500 in Class Representative awards, separately.

Do I get credit monitoring or medical monitoring from the FWMEP settlement?

 It depends on whether your Social Security number was affected. If it was, you get credit monitoring; if it wasn’t, you get medical identity theft monitoring instead.

What if I don’t want to deal with paperwork for the FWMEP settlement? 

You can skip documentation entirely and claim a flat $40 payment instead of any other benefit.

Sources Used in This FWMEP Data Breach Article

• Official Settlement Website — In re Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Incident Litigation, accessed Sept. 5, 2026: https://fwmepdatasettlement.com/
• Settlement FAQ — FWMEP Data Incident Litigation: https://fwmepdatasettlement.com/faq/
• Official Claim Form: https://cw.simpluris.com/docs/public/downloads/FDC6/CLAIM_FORM
• Maine Attorney General Data Breach Notification — Fort Wayne Medical Education Program: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/db82bce6-9122-4fdf-8c1f-1b1295238ac6.html

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the official settlement website and the Maine Attorney General’s breach filing on September 5, 2026. Last Updated: September 5, 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.