AT&T Settles Data Breach Suits for $177 Million

AT&T has agreed to pay $177 million to settle lawsuits stemming from two major data breaches that exposed sensitive information of millions of its current and former customers, with affected individuals facing a December 18 deadline to file claims.

The settlement, reached earlier this year in U.S. District Court in Texas, resolves consolidated class-action lawsuits filed across the country. Plaintiffs accused the telecommunications company of failing to adequately safeguard customer data, leading to unauthorized disclosures. AT&T has denied any wrongdoing but chose to settle to avoid the costs and uncertainties of prolonged court battles. In a statement, the company said, "We have agreed to this settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation," while emphasizing its ongoing commitment to data protection and customer trust.

The agreement covers two separate incidents, both disclosed in 2024 but involving data from as early as 2019. In the first breach, announced in March 2024, AT&T discovered that personal information belonging to approximately 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former ones had surfaced on the dark web. The leaked data...