AT&T settles data breach lawsuits for $177 million. Here’s how to get your share.
If you are or were an AT&T customer between 2019 and 2024, you may be eligible to get a check soon. AT&T has agreed to a settlement of $177 million to close out two class action lawsuits, both of which had to do with data breaches.
The courts ruled that the settlement terms were reasonable on Friday, June 20, and have given AT&T the green light to pay out those settlements. The first settlement class, affected by a 2024 data breach, will receive $149 million. Another class affected by a different breach in 2019 (and earlier) will get $28 million.
Per court documents, AT&T will make payments to people who suffered direct losses as a result of the data breach first, and then the remaining money will be split among all the customers whose personal information was stolen. AT&T is already providing free credit monitoring services for affected customers.
What happened with the AT&T data breaches?
The first data breach was found in March 2024. AT&T found records of 7.6 current AT&T users (at the time) and 65.4 million former customers on the dark web. The mobile giant was unable to determine how they got there, but did reach out to customers to offer free credit monitoring after the breach. Records were from 2019 and earlier.
Then, on April 19, 2024, AT&T found evidence of another major data breach, which it reported it to the SEC. Per the document, a threat actor “unlawfully accessed” AT&T’s Snowflake environment. They proceeded to download call logs and text messages from nearly every AT&T customer that took place between approximately May 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, along with some interactions on Jan. 3, 2023.
The 2024 breach was so large that we're still seeing shockwaves in 2025.
How do I know if I'm entitled to compensation?
If you were affected by either the 2019 or 2024 breaches, then AT&T should contact you directly in the coming months with instructions.
Between August and October of this year, AT&T will send out class action settlement notifications to impacted customers. That notification will have information on how you can file a claim to receive your fair share of the AT&T settlement money. If you don’t receive a notification by Oct. 17, we recommend calling AT&T to find out if you qualify. Typically, a form is also available online, but that's not the case as of this writing.
When will I receive my payment in the AT&T settlement?
Payments will be disbursed sometime after Dec. 3, 2025, although the exact payout timeline is unknown right now.
The timeline of the AT&T settlement
The courts have a timeline for AT&T to complete. It goes like this:
June 30, 2025: AT&T must deliver the class lists to the settlement administrator.
August 4 to October 17, 2025: AT&T must notify affected customers of the settlement offer. Customers have until Oct. 17 to opt out of the class action or file an objection.
November 18, 2025: The final deadline for affected AT&T customers to file a claim form.
December 3, 2025: A final approval hearing will take place to finalize everything.