Two health systems have reached class action settlements over allegations that they disclosed patients’ personal information to companies such as Meta and Google without permission.
Indiana’s Margaret Mary Community Hospital agreed to pay $215,329 to members of the class action lawsuit who logged into their patient portal accounts between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2023.
The University of Tennessee Medical Center will pay out a settlement to those who had patient portals between January 1, 2025, and September 30, 2025.
Why It Matters
Both class action lawsuits allege that the health systems gave patients’ confidential personally identifiable information and/or protected health information to Meta and other third-party technology companies without patient consent.
In both complaints, plaintiffs claim that the health systems shared information with other technology companies through the use of Meta Pixels or other tracking, analytics or advertising technologies. The Tennessee case also lists Google as one of the third-party technology companies that received access to patient data.
These lawsuits come as many health systems face class action lawsuits over patient data breaches that potentially expose individuals’ personal, financial and medical data to theft and fraud.
Margaret Mary Community Hospital and the University of Tennessee Medical Center agreed to settle their cases to prevent further litigation, but denied all claims and any wrongdoing.
What To Know
The class action lawsuit was filed in Marion County Superior Court on August 9, 2023. The plaintiffs accused the hospital of negligence, invasion of privacy, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty and violation of the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.
Plaintiffs in the Tennessee case, filed in the Chancery Court for Knox County, also allege negligence, invasion of privacy-intrusion upon seclusion, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty and violation of state laws, including the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
The parties met for mediation on June 2, 2025, and reached a settlement agreement 18 days later.
Both settlements will cover legal and administrative costs, those eligible for the settlement must submit a claim form to receive a cash payout of $25. Class members can also enroll in the Privacy Shield Pro Product.
What Happens Next
The final approval hearing for the Margaret Mary Community Hospital case will be held on December 18, 2025. For class members who wish to opt out of the settlement, they must do so by November 15, 2025. The deadline to file a settlement claim is December 1, 2025.
The final hearing for the Tennessee case will be on December 8, 2025. The deadline to file a claim is December 9 and the deadline to opt out of the settlement is November 10.
Newsweek reached out to the attorneys for Margaret Mary Community Hospital and the University of Tennessee Medical Center for comment.
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