People who received notice that their personal details were exposed in the May 2021 USAA data breach may have been eligible for a piece of a $3.25 million class action settlement.
The financial services company agreed to resolve a nationwide lawsuit accusing it of not properly safeguarding customer data during a cyberattack. Since the deadline to file claims was April 7, 2025, anyone who qualified should have already submitted their paperwork to secure their share of the settlement.
More details about the settlement and those deemed eligible
The class action lawsuit followed a data breach discovered around May 6, 2021, when unauthorized individuals reportedly accessed personal data stored by USAA. The compromised information may have included names, contact info, and possibly even more sensitive financial or account-related details.
USAA, known for providing financial services to military members, veterans, and their families, has not admitted to any fault in the matter. Still, the company agreed to pay $3.25 million to settle the case, aiming to put the issue to rest and sidestep the expense and hassle of a prolonged court battle.
Confirmed: Retirees Could Lose Social Security If They Don’t Switch to Login.gov by This Date
To be considered for the settlement, individuals had to meet a couple of criteria:
- Their personal details must have been exposed due to the data breach,
- and they needed to have received an official notice from USAA confirming the incident.
Anyone wanting to take part in the settlement was required to send in a valid claim form by April 7, 2025. Those forms had to include proof that they were impacted, either by attaching the notification they received from USAA or providing some other documentation indicating their information had been compromised.
How much can claimants expect to receive from the settlement?
Everyone who filed an approved claim will get an equal cut of what’s left in the $3.25 million settlement pot—after a few necessary deductions, of course. The final payout each person receives will depend on a few key things:
- How many people submitted valid claims,
- the amount taken out for legal fees and administrative expenses approved by the court,
- and any service awards given to the class representatives.
While the total amount is fixed, personal compensation will depend on these three factors.
If you missed the deadline to file your claim, you’re out of luck for this settlement—but don’t worry, there may still be opportunities through other class actions, like the Enzo Biochem data breach case.
It’s also worth noting that anyone who wasn’t impacted by the USAA breach should steer clear of filing a false claim. In most cases, folks who qualify had to show the notification they got from USAA as proof. Faking your way into a payout not only hurts legitimate claimants, but it can also land you in legal hot water. So if your data wasn’t caught up in this breach, it’s best to sit this one out.
What can we expect after filing the claim?
The final green light is expected at the approval hearing scheduled for May 21, 2025. If everything goes smoothly and no one files an appeal, payments will start rolling out shortly after. For most approved claimants, the check should land in their mailbox within a few weeks—or at most, a couple of months—after the court signs off.
Anyone impacted by this or a similar breach—such as the MGM Resorts data incident—shouldn’t let the opportunity for compensation slip through their fingers. Filing a claim is usually a pretty straightforward process. In most cases, all it takes is the notification letter sent out by the company involved to get your slice of the settlement pie.
To learn more about this case or get help filing your claim, head over to Top Class Actions for all the details.
The plaintiffs in the case are being represented by Christian Levis, Amanda G. Fiorilla, and Anthony M. Christina of Lowey Dannenberg PC; Thomas J. McKenna, Gregory M. Egleston, and Christopher M. Brain of Gainey McKenna & Egleston; along with Gary F. Lynch and Nicholas A. Colella of Lynch Carpenter LLP.
The settlement case is titled Vincent Dolan et al. v. United Services Automobile Association, filed under Case No. 7:21-cv-05813 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
