Tift Regional Health System Data Breach Settlement, Check If You Qualify, In re Tift Regional Health System, Inc. Data Breach Litigation, No. 2023CV0313

There’s up to $5,000 waiting for you — if you can show what the Tift Regional Health System data breach cost you — or a flat $75 with no paperwork at all. Tift Regional Health System agreed to pay $1,200,000 to settle claims over the August 2022 cyberattack that exposed patient records. You have until October 15, 2026 to file.

Tift Regional Health System Data Breach Settlement — Key Facts

Detail	Information
Settlement Amount	$1,200,000.00
Claim Deadline	October 15, 2026
Who Qualifies	U.S. residents whose private information may have been compromised in the August 2022 breach, including anyone notified by Tift or Southwell
Estimated Payout	$75 cash (no proof needed) or up to $5,000 with documented losses
Proof Required	No for the $75 cash option; Yes for the documented loss option
Settlement Status	Preliminarily approved; final approval hearing September 14, 2026
Court & Case Number	Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia, Case No. 2023CV0313
Law Alleged	Negligence, breach of implied contract, and violation of the Georgia Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, among other claims
Administrator	Simpluris
Official Claim Site	TiftDataSettlement.com
Last Updated	September 9, 2026

Who Is Tift Regional Health System and Why Are They Being Sued for the Data Breach?

Tift Regional Health System, Inc. is a non-profit health system serving south central Georgia, operating under the name Southwell. Running hospitals and clinics means storing exactly the kind of records a hospital needs and a hacker wants — names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, medical histories. Southwell is named as a co-defendant because it operates the network where the breach took place.

What Did Tift Regional Health System Do to Patients Between August 11 and August 17, 2022?

A ransomware group calling itself Hive broke into Tift’s computer network sometime around August 16, 2022. The forensic investigation later confirmed the intrusion ran from August 11 to August 17, and that the files an unauthorized party accessed or copied contained patient names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and medical information — roughly 180,142 current and former patients’ worth.

The lawsuit that followed didn’t just target the hack itself. It accused Tift and Southwell of negligence, breach of implied contract, and violating Georgia’s Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act — a state law that bars companies from misrepresenting how well they protect the data people hand over. Plaintiffs argued the hospital system failed to encrypt and safeguard patient files properly, and failed to delete old records it no longer needed to keep.

There’s a second issue baked into the case, too: Tift didn’t notify affected patients until August 11, 2023 — almost a full year after the breach happened. Multiple overlapping lawsuits over these claims were consolidated into a single case, In re Tift Regional Health System, Inc. Data Breach Litigation, now pending in the Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia.

Waiting thirteen months to say anything isn’t unheard of in these cases. But it’s a big part of why plaintiffs pushed for two years of credit monitoring as part of the deal, not just a check.

Who Qualifies for the Tift Regional Health System Data Breach Settlement?

Here’s exactly how to know if the Tift Regional Health System settlement includes you.

• U.S. residents whose private information may have been compromised or otherwise impacted in the August 2022 Data Security Incident
• Anyone who received a notice from Tift Regional Health System or Southwell about the breach
• Current and former patients whose records were among the roughly 180,142 the investigation identified

Who does not qualify:

• The judge presiding over the case, along with their immediate family and staff
• Tift’s own officers, directors, and related companies
• Anyone who validly excludes themselves from the settlement

Tift Regional Health System Patients Outside Georgia — Are You Still Covered?

Yes. This isn’t a state-limited class — it covers any U.S. resident whose information was affected, no matter where you live now. If Tift or Southwell sent you a notice, your current ZIP code doesn’t change your eligibility.

Not sure if you qualify for the Tift Regional Health System data breach settlement? A free consultation with a data privacy attorney can help before the October 15, 2026 deadline.

That money is yours if you file. If you don’t, it goes back into the settlement fund for people who did.

How Much Can Tift Regional Health System Data Breach Settlement Class Members Get? Up to $5,000 Per Person

Tift Regional Health System Payout With Proof — Up to $5,000

If the breach cost you money — identity theft, fraud, fees to freeze or monitor your credit, replacing a stolen ID, postage to sort it all out — you can claim up to $5,000 back. You’ll need to show proof: bank statements, receipts, or similar records covering losses between August 11, 2022, and October 15, 2026. Losses someone else already reimbursed don’t count.

Tift Regional Health System Payout Without Proof — Up to $75

Skip the paperwork and take the Alternative Cash Payment instead. No receipts, no explanation — just a share of whatever’s left in the fund after fees and other costs. It’s estimated at $75, but the real number depends on how many people file.

What Pro-Rata Means for Your Tift Regional Health System Check

More filers means smaller checks. Everyone who picks the no-proof option splits the same pool of leftover money evenly, so that $75 estimate can move up or down before payments go out.

Every class member also gets two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete, a monitoring service with $1 million in medical identity theft insurance built in — that’s on top of whichever cash option you pick.

Class Counsel is asking the court to approve $360,000 in attorneys’ fees — 30% of the $1.2 million fund — plus $2,500 service awards for each of the four named plaintiffs. That comes off the top before administration costs and your payment are calculated. Payments over $600 may show up on a 1099. Talk to a tax professional about how that applies to you.

The lawyers take $360,000 before you see a cent. That’s normal for a case this size. Still, it’s worth knowing before you decide whether the $75 option or the documented-loss route is the better use of your time.

How to File Your Tift Regional Health System Data Breach Settlement Claim — Step by Step

1. Go to TiftDataSettlement.com and open the Submit a Claim page.
2. Enter your name, mailing address, and contact details as they appear on your notice.
3. Choose your payout — the $75 Alternative Cash Payment or the Documented Loss Payment up to $5,000.
4. If you’re claiming documented losses, upload your proof: bank statements, receipts, or records tied to the breach.
5. Submit the form and save your confirmation number.
6. Watch your email — Simpluris, the settlement administrator, will reach out if anything’s missing.

Takes about 10 minutes. You have until October 15, 2026 to file — a little over five weeks from today.

Should Tift Regional Health System Class Members Opt Out or Object Before September 15, 2026?

What Opting Out of the Tift Regional Health System Settlement Actually Means

Opting out means no cash, no credit monitoring, nothing from this settlement. But it also means you keep your right to sue Tift and Southwell on your own over the same claims. Most people shouldn’t make that call without talking to a lawyer first. The deadline to opt out is September 15, 2026.

How to Object to the Tift Regional Health System Settlement

Objecting is different — you stay in the class but tell the court why you think the deal isn’t good enough. Your written objection has to include the case name and number, your contact information, proof you’re a class member, and your specific reasons, and it has to reach both the Clerk of the Court in Tifton, Georgia, and Simpluris by September 15, 2026.

Talk to a class action lawsuit attorney before September 15, 2026 if you’re considering either option.

Tift Regional Health System Data Breach Settlement — Key Dates, 2026

Milestone	Date
Notification Mailing	July 17, 2026
Claims Period Opens	UNVERIFIED — exact opening date not published on the settlement site
Opt-Out Deadline	September 15, 2026
Objection Deadline	September 15, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	September 14, 2026, 10:00 a.m. Eastern
Claim Filing Deadline	October 15, 2026
Expected Payment Date	UNVERIFIED — no date announced; payments go out after final approval and any appeals

Tift Regional Health System Data Breach — Frequently Asked Questions, No. 2023CV0313

Do I need a lawyer to file a Tift Regional Health System settlement claim? 

No. Filing takes about 10 minutes at TiftDataSettlement.com. Class Counsel — Gary Mason, William B. Federman, Bryan L. Bleichner, and Kevin Laukaitis — already represents the class at no cost to you.

Is the Tift Regional Health System settlement legitimate? 

Yes. It resolves a real case, No. 2023CV0313, pending before the Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia, and it’s run by Simpluris, a nationally recognized claims administrator.

When will Tift Regional Health System settlement payments be sent? 

Not yet. The court holds its final approval hearing on September 14, 2026. Payments go out after that approval and any appeals wrap up — no date is set.

What if I missed the Tift Regional Health System claim deadline?

 Claims filed online or postmarked after October 15, 2026 won’t be accepted. If your situation is unusual, you can still call Simpluris at (833) 421-7345.

Will my Tift Regional Health System settlement payment go on a 1099?

 Payments over $600 may be reported to the IRS. Check with a tax professional about how your payment affects your return.

How much could I get from the Tift Regional Health System settlement?

 Up to $5,000 with documented proof of loss, or an estimated $75 with no proof required. The $75 figure is pro-rata and can shift depending on how many people file.

Who counts as a class member in the Tift Regional Health System data breach settlement?

 Anyone in the U.S. whose private information — name, date of birth, Social Security number, or medical information — may have been compromised in the August 2022 breach, including anyone who got a notice about it.

What did the lawsuit against Tift Regional Health System actually allege? 

That Tift and Southwell failed to secure patient data properly and waited nearly a year — until August 2023 — to tell people about it, in violation of Georgia’s Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act and basic negligence standards.

Sources Used in This Tift Regional Health System Data Breach Article

• Official Settlement Website — Home: TiftDataSettlement.com
• Official Settlement Website — Frequently Asked Questions: TiftDataSettlement.com/faq
• Court-Approved Long Form Notice, Simpluris: Long Form Notice PDF
• Official Claim Form, Simpluris: Claim Form PDF

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the official settlement website and court notice, TiftDataSettlement.com, on September 9, 2026. Last Updated: September 9, 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.