1. Why was the Notice issued?
2. What is this lawsuit about?
3. What is a class action?
4. Why is there a settlement?
5. Who is included in the Settlement?
6. Are there exceptions to being included?
7. What does the Settlement provide?
8. What claims am I releasing if I stay in the Class?
9. How do I submit a claim for a Settlement benefit?
10. Are there any important Settlement payment deadlines?
11. When will the Settlement benefits be issued?
12. Do I have a lawyer in the case?
13. Should I get my own lawyer?
14. How will Class Counsel be paid?
15. How do I tell the Court if I like or do not like the Settlement?
16. When is the Final Approval Hearing?
17. Do I have to come to the Final Approval Hearing?
18. What happens if I do nothing at all?
19. How do I get more information?
The Superior Court of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, authorized the Notice. You have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit, and about all of your options, before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. The Notice explains the lawsuit, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.
The lawsuit is called Dinkel, et al. v. American Consumer Credit Counseling, Inc., Case No. 2581CV02933. It is pending in the Superior Court of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The people that filed this lawsuit are called the "Plaintiffs" (or "Class Representatives") and the company they sued, American Consumer Credit Counseling, Inc., is called the "Defendant."
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This lawsuit alleges that, in January 2025, Defendant became aware of a cybersecurity incident involving a criminal third party gaining unauthorized access to certain of Defendant’s employee email accounts. These files may have contained personal information such as: name, Social Security number, driver’s license number, financial account number, and/or payment card information.
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In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals are called the “Plaintiffs” or “Class Representatives.” Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Class” or “Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Class Members. In this Settlement, the Class Representatives are Veronica Hicks and Justin Dinkel. Everyone included in this Action are the Class Members.
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The Court did not decide whether the Plaintiffs or the Defendant are right. Both sides have agreed to a settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and to allow the Class Members to receive benefits from the Settlement. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Class Members.
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The Court has defined the Class this way: “All individuals residing in the United States whose PII was potentially compromised in the Data Incident experienced by Defendant, including all those who received notice of the Data Incident." In this sentence, PII means Personally Identifiable Information.
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Yes. Excluded from the Class are: (1) Defendant; (2) Defendant's affiliates, parents, subsidiaries; (3) any entity in which Defendant has a controlling interest; (4) any of Defendant's officers or directors; (5) any successors; (6) any judge who adjudicates this case, including their staff and immediate family; and (7) any person found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be guilty under criminal law of initiating, causing, aiding or abetting the criminal activity occurrence of the Data Incident, or who pleads nolo contendere to any such charge.
If you are not sure whether you are a Class Member, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
ACCC Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
Email: info@ACCCSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7260
You may also view the Settlement Agreement here.
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ACCC has agreed to pay for a number of different benefits, as described below. All Class Members may enroll in three years of Credit Monitoring services from one bureau and payments from one of two cash payment categories:
Credit Monitoring. All Class Members are eligible to enroll in three years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete. This comprehensive service comes with $1 million of financial fraud insurance, and includes monitoring for:
fraud or identity theft
unauthorized financial transactions
high-risk financial transactions
If anything suspicious happens, you will be able to talk to a fraud resolution agent to help fix any problems.
Cash Payments. You may claim payments from either Category 1 or Category 2.
Category 1
Documented Out-of-Pocket Losses. If you incurred actual, documented out-of-pocket losses traceable to the Data Incident, you may submit a claim, not to exceed $3,500.00. The losses must have occurred between January 27, 2025, and September 16, 2026.
This benefit covers out-of-pocket expenses like:
losses because of identity theft or fraud
fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, or freezing and unfreezing your credit
cost to replace your IDs
postage to contact banks by mail
You need to send documented proof, like bank statements or receipts, to show how much you spent or lost. You can also send notes or papers you made yourself to explain or support other proof, but those notes or papers alone are not enough to make a valid claim. Your proof or notes should show that your expenses were because of the Data Incident.
You cannot claim a payment for expenses that have already been reimbursed by a third party.
Compensation for Lost Time. Class Members who spent time responding to the Data Incident may claim up to four hours, at $20.00 per hour, for a maximum of $80.00.
You must have spent the time on tasks related to the Data Incident. Some examples include things like:
changing your passwords
investigating suspicious activity in your accounts
researching the Data Incident
You must briefly describe how you spent this time.
Category 2
Alternative Cash Payment. Instead of the benefits in Category 1, you may claim a one-time cash payment for $45.00.
You do not have to provide any proof or explanation to claim this payment.
If you have questions about these benefits, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
ACCC Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
Email: info@ACCCSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7260
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If you stay in the Class, you won't be able to be part of any other lawsuit against Defendant or the Released Parties for any of the Released Claims. The "Releases" section of the Settlement Agreement (Section VIII) describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Class. The Settlement Agreement is available here.
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The fastest way to submit your Claim Form is online here. If you prefer, you can download a printable Claim Form here and mail it to the Settlement Administrator at:
ACCC Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
You may also contact the Settlement Administrator to request a Claim Form by telephone, toll free, (833) 421-7260, by email info@ACCCSettlement.com, or by U.S. mail at the address above.
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If you are submitting a Claim Form online here, you must do so by September 16, 2026. If you are downloading a Claim Form here and submitting a claim by U.S. mail, the completed and signed Claim Form, including supporting documentation, must be postmarked no later than September 16, 2026.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on October 8, 2026 (see Question 16). If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. We do not know if appeals will be filed, or how long it will take to resolve them if they are filed.
Settlement payments will be distributed if the Court grants final approval, and after any appeals are resolved.
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Yes, the Court has appointed attorney Casondra Turner of Milberg PLLC, to represent you and other Class Members ("Class Counsel").
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You will not be charged for Class Counsel’s services. If you want your own lawyer, you may hire one at your expense.
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Class Counsel will ask the court to approve $225,000.00 as reasonable attorney's fees and costs of litigation. If approved, these fees and costs will be paid by Defendant.
Class Counsel will also ask for Service Award payments of $4,000.00 for each of the Class Representatives, not to exceed $8,000.00. Any approved Service Awards will also be paid by Defendant.
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If you are a Class Member and do not like part or all of the Settlement, you can object to it. Objecting means telling the Court your reasons for why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement. The Court will consider your views.
You must provide the following information for the Court to consider your objection:
the name of the Action: Dinkel, et al., v. American Consumer Credit Counseling, Inc., Case No. 2581CV02933, pending in the Superior Court of Middlesex County, Massachusetts;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
information that proves that you are a Class Member (such as a notice you have received);
a clear description of all the reasons you object; include any legal support, such as documents, you may have for your objection;
if you have hired your own lawyer to represent you for this objection, provide their name, bar number, and contact information;
if you have hired your own lawyers, also provide their background and experience, how much they expect to charge, and how they calculated that number;
if you or your lawyer have objected in any other cases in the past five years, list the names, courts, and civil action numbers for each of those cases;
whether or not you or your lawyer would like to speak at the Final Approval Hearing;
if you plan on calling witnesses or submitting documents at the Final Approval Hearing, provide a full list of both; and
your signature (or, if you have hired your own lawyer, your lawyer's signature).
For your objection to be valid, it must meet each of these requirements.
To be considered by the Court, you must file your complete objection with the Clerk of Court by August 17, 2026. You must also send a copy of the objection to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and counsel for Defendants.
Clerk of the Court | Settlement Administrator |
Clerk of the Court | ACCC Data Incident Settlement |
Class Counsel | Counsel for Defendants |
Casondra Turner | Sean B. Solis |
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on October 8, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time by video teleconference via Zoom. The Zoom link to access the hearing is https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1613008230. Full details can be accessed here.
At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. The Court will also decide whether to approve Class Counsel's request for attorneys' fees and costs and whether to award Service Awards to the Class Representatives. The Court will also consider any objections to the Settlement.
If you are a Class Member, you or your lawyer may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost (see Question 15).
The location, date, or time of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check this website for updates.
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No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense if you wish, but you do not have to.
If you file an objection, you do not have to come to the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it; the Court will consider it as long as it was filed on time. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but you do not have to.
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If you do nothing, you will not receive any benefits from this Settlement.
You will also give up the rights described in Question 8.
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This website and the Notice are a summary of the proposed Settlement. The full Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available on the Important Documents page.
If you have additional questions, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
ACCC Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
Email: info@ACCCSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7260
You can obtain copies of publicly filed documents by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court, 200 Trade Center Dr., Woburn, MA 01801.
Do not contact the Court or Clerk of Court regarding this Settlement.
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