Who is a Class Member
The Aetna HIV Status Privacy class action settlement includes “all persons whose Protected Health Information and/or Confidential HIV-related information was allegedly disclosed improperly by Aetna and/or Aetna-related or affiliated entities.”
If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other class action settlements you may be eligible for.
Settlement Amount
- $17,161,200.00
Estimated Award
- $75, plus up to $20,000 depending on financial or non-financial harm
All 11,875 Settlement Class members who were sent the Benefit Notice will receive an automatic base payment of $75 or $500 (inclusive of the $75 payment), whichever is applicable. No claim form is needed.
Claimants may receive up to $10,000 for financial harm and up to $10,000 for non-financial harm as calculated by the Settlement Administrator, for a total maximum of up to $20,000 in addition to the minimum Base Payment described above.
Proof of Purchase
- You will need to provide your claim number and documentations showing financial or non-financial harm, such as copies of receipts, invoices, credit card statements, medical records, insurance records, returned checks, and/or any other reasonable form of proof of non-reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of the Benefit Notice.
Claim Form
Aetna HIV Status Disclosure Settlement Notes
- Andrew Beckett, et al. v. Aetna Inc., et al.
- Case No. 2:17-cv-03864
- Pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
This class action lawsuit stems from a 2017 data breach where the privacy of nearly 12,000 people insured by Aetna was compromised. Specifically, Aetna mailed letters in response to a settlement over previous violation concerns. Aetna had required members to obtain HIV medications through mail order pharmacies. This prompted lawsuits alleging the policy was discriminatory because it prevented patients taking HIV medication from receiving in-person counseling from a pharmacist as well as put their privacy at risk.
Aetna settled the lawsuits individually and changed its policy. But here’s the clincher – it mailed Benefit Notification letters to anyone who had filled a prescription for HIV meds using a large transparent glassine window envelope that exposed members sensitive HIV status information.
Aetna “carelessly, recklessly, negligently, and impermissibly revealed HIV-related information of their current and former insureds to their family, friends, roommates, landlords, neighbors, mail carriers and complete strangers,” the lawsuit states. “In the course of sending out the agreed notices, however, Aetna again failed to recognize the dangers associated with sending information about HIV medications through the mail.”
Complete details about the case and settlement are provided on the Aetna HIV Status Privacy settlement website.
Class members who wish to object to or exclude themselves from the Aetna HIV Status Privacy settlement must do so by July 31, 2018. Class members who wish to participate in the settlement must submit a claim form on or before September 29, 2018.
Important Dates
- 9/29/18: Claim Form Deadline
- 7/31/18: Objection or Exclusion Deadline
- 10/15/18: Final Hearing at 9:00 am ET* (class members do not need to attend this hearing in order to receive a slice of the settlement pie).
*Settlement Class Members who wish to speak at the hearing should check www.BeckettPrivacyClassAction.com to confirm that the date or time of the Hearing has not been changed.
Contact Information
- Mail: Settlement Administrator, c/o Angeion Group, PO Box 15860, Philadelphia, PA 19103
- Phone: 1-877-416-7259
- Email: BeckettPrivacyClassAction@AdministratorClassAction.com
Class Counsel
- Ronda B. Goldfein, Yolanda French Lollis, and Adrian M. Lowe of AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania
- Sally Friedman, Monica Welby, and Karla Lopez of Legal Action Center
- Shanon Carson, E. Michelle Drake, Sarah R. Schalman-Bergen, and John Albanese of Berger & Montague PC
- Torin A. Dorros of Dorros Law
Settlement Website