NTN Bearing $1.43M GIPA Settlement, NTN Asked About Your Family’s Medical History During a Job Physical. Illinois Law Says That’s Illegal

If you applied for a job at NTN Bearing in Illinois between June 2019 and December 2024 and went through a pre-employment medical exam where staff asked about your family’s medical history, a $1,427,500 class action settlement is waiting for you. You don’t need to file a claim — NTN’s own employment records already identified the roughly 550 class members, and checks will go out automatically after final court approval. The only deadline that matters right now is May 15, 2026: that’s when you must opt out if you want to preserve your right to sue NTN independently.

Field	Detail
Settlement Amount	$1,427,500
Who Qualifies	Illinois NTN job applicants who had family medical history collected during a pre-hire physical exam between June 19, 2019 and Dec. 20, 2024
Estimated Payout	At least $1,500 per class member
Class Size	Approximately 550 individuals
Claim Form Required	No — payment is automatic
Opt-Out Deadline	May 15, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	May 28, 2026
Payment Timeline	Within 21 days after final approval and resolution of any appeals
Settlement Administrator	Rust Consulting
Official Website	ntngipasettlement.com
Case	Dal Cerro v. NTN Bearing Corp. of America, Case No. 24-LA-000075

Where things stand: The court has granted preliminary approval. The settlement administrator will mail checks to eligible class members within 21 days after the court resolves any appeals and grants final approval. The final approval hearing is May 28, 2026. If you’ve moved since applying to NTN, update your address with the administrator now — that’s the only action most people need to take.

What Happened at the NTN Job Physical — and Why Illinois Says It Crossed a Line

NTN Bearing Corp. of America manufactures industrial bearings and employs workers at facilities across Illinois. Like many manufacturers, it required job applicants to pass a pre-employment physical exam before being hired. That’s legal. What Illinois law says is not legal is what happened inside those exams.

NTN used a third-party provider to conduct physical exams as part of its job application process, which collected information related to prospective employees’ medical history. The medical staff conducting those exams asked applicants about their family’s medical history — who in their family had cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and similar conditions. That information is genetic information under Illinois law, and collecting it from job applicants without proper authorization is a violation of the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act, known as GIPA.

In a typical GIPA case, plaintiffs allege that their employer or prospective employer violated the law by requiring them to undergo a pre-employment physical, during which the health professional conducting the physical asked questions about the plaintiff’s family medical history. Because the job was contingent on the physical, the employer indirectly required the disclosure of protected genetic information.

NTN denies any wrongdoing and maintains the collection of this information was inadvertent. The company agreed to settle to avoid the cost and uncertainty of continued litigation.

What Is GIPA and Why Does It Carry Such Heavy Penalties?

Most people have heard of Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act — BIPA — which covers fingerprints and facial recognition data. GIPA is its lesser-known counterpart, covering genetic information, and its penalties are actually steeper.

GIPA is intended to prevent employers and insurers from using genetic testing information as a means of discrimination for employment or underwriting purposes. It prohibits soliciting, requesting, requiring, or purchasing a person’s or their family member’s genetic testing as a condition of employment.

The reason the law takes this so seriously comes down to what makes genetic information different from other personal data. Unlike a credit card or telephone number, a person cannot simply change their fingerprint or family history if that information is leaked. Your family medical history reveals your predisposition to diseases you haven’t developed yet — and that information, in the wrong hands or used by an employer, could affect your job prospects, insurance coverage, and more.

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GIPA provides for the greater of actual damages or $2,500 for a negligent violation and $15,000 for a willful violation — steeper than BIPA’s $1,000 and $5,000 statutory damages respectively. The $1,427,500 settlement fund reflects what the parties negotiated based on the class size and litigation risk — not the full statutory exposure NTN could have faced.

You’re Already In — No Claim Form, No Portal, No Proof Needed

This is one of the cleanest settlements you’ll encounter. NTN maintained employment records showing exactly who applied, who underwent a physical exam, and during what timeframe. The settlement class includes approximately 550 individuals whom the administrator has already identified from those records.

Class members do not need to file a claim or take any action to receive payment. A check will be mailed to your last known address after the court grants final approval.

There are two things worth doing before May 15, 2026:

Update your address if you’ve moved since you applied to NTN. The administrator will mail your check to whatever address is on file. Contact Rust Consulting at [email protected] or write to: NTN GIPA Settlement, c/o Rust Consulting Inc. – 9162, PO Box 2396, Faribault, MN 55021-9096.

Decide whether to opt out if you believe your individual claim is worth more than the settlement amount and you want to pursue your own lawsuit against NTN. The opt-out deadline is May 15, 2026 — after that, you’re bound by the settlement terms and receive your share automatically.

Where the $1.43 Million Goes

Recipient	Amount
Settlement administration costs	Up to $35,000
Attorneys’ fees	Up to $499,625
Attorneys’ expenses	TBD
Service awards to class representatives	Up to $15,000 (two representatives at up to $7,500 each)
Payments to class members	Remainder — estimated at least $1,500 each

Each class member will receive an equal share of the settlement fund after deductions for attorneys’ fees, litigation costs, settlement administration costs, and service awards to the class representatives. The anticipated minimum payment per class member is at least $1,500, but the final amount will depend on the number of participating class members and the total deductions.

The Timeline: From Job Application to Settlement Check

Milestone	Date
GIPA violation period begins	June 19, 2019
GIPA violation period ends	December 20, 2024
Dal Cerro v. NTN case filed	2024
Preliminary approval granted	TBD
Opt-out / objection deadline	May 15, 2026
Final approval hearing	May 28, 2026
Payment mailed to class members	Within 21 days after final approval

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to file a claim to get my payment?

 No. NTN identified all approximately 550 class members from its own employment records. If you qualify, a check will be mailed to your address on file automatically after final court approval. The only thing to do is make sure your address is current with the settlement administrator.

Is this settlement legitimate?

 Yes. The case is Dal Cerro v. NTN Bearing Corp. of America, Case No. 24-LA-000075. The settlement administrator is Rust Consulting, a well-established national claims administrator. The settlement website is ntngipasettlement.com and the official notice was issued pursuant to court authorization.

When will I receive my payment? 

The settlement administrator will mail checks to eligible class members within 21 days after the court resolves any appeals and grants final approval of the settlement. The final approval hearing is May 28, 2026. If no appeals are filed, payments could go out in June or July 2026.

What if I missed the opt-out deadline?

 If you do not opt out by May 15, 2026, you remain part of the class, receive your payment, and release your individual claims against NTN under GIPA. You cannot sue NTN separately over the same pre-employment exam after that date.

Will this settlement payment affect my taxes? 

Possibly. Statutory damages from privacy law violations may be taxable as ordinary income. The tax treatment depends on your specific circumstances. Consult a tax professional about how to handle the payment on your return.

I applied to NTN but never got a notice. Am I still in the class? 

If you applied to NTN Bearing Corp. of America, NTN USA Corp., or American NTN Bearing Manufacturing Corp. in Illinois and had a physical exam between June 19, 2019 and December 20, 2024, you are likely a class member. Contact the administrator at [email protected] to confirm your status and update your address.

What exactly is “family medical history” under Illinois law — and did mine get collected?

 GIPA adopts HIPAA’s definition of genetic information, which includes the manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members of an individual. If a doctor or nurse at your NTN pre-hire physical asked whether your parents, siblings, or grandparents had conditions like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, that qualifies. You do not need to have provided DNA or taken a genetic test.

Can I get more than $1,500?

 The $1,500 figure is the floor, not a ceiling. If fewer class members participate or administrative costs come in under budget, the per-person payout could be higher. The actual amount will be confirmed when the court grants final approval.

Sources & References

1. Official settlement website: ntngipasettlement.com
2. Class notice: available at ntngipasettlement.com
3. Settlement agreement: available at ntngipasettlement.com

Last Updated: April 3, 2026

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legal claims and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. For advice regarding a particular situation, consult a qualified attorney.