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 Settlement 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 opt out of the Settlement?
16. How do I tell the Court if I like or do not like the Settlement?
17. What is the difference between objecting and excluding?
18. When is the Court’s Final Approval Hearing?
19. Do I have to come to the Final Approval Hearing?
20. What happens if I do nothing at all?
21. How do I get more information?
The Superior Court of Pierce County, Washington, 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 Action, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.
The lawsuit is called Shaeffer v. NWRPC, LLC, Case No. 25-2-08462-6. It is pending in the Superior Court of Pierce County, Washington. The people that filed this lawsuit are called the “Plaintiffs” (or “Class Representatives”) and the company they sued, NWRPC, LLC, is called the “Defendant.”
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This lawsuit alleges that during the August 2024 targeted cyberattack on NWRPC's computer systems, certain files that contained Private Information were accessed. These files may have contained Private Information such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.
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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, except for those who opt-out from the settlement. In this proposed Settlement, the Class Representatives are Tera Shaeffer, Jennifer Lehuta, and Hannah Mead. Everyone included in this Action are the Settlement Class Members.
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The Court did not decide in favor of either the Plaintiffs or NWRPC. Both parties have agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and to allow the Settlement Class Members to receive benefits from the Settlement. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys think the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and thus, best for all Settlement Class Members.
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The Court has defined the Settlement Class this way: “The approximately 68,500 living individuals identified on the Class List whose Private Information was determined by NWRPC’s data review to have been potentially impacted in the Data Incident.”
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Yes. Excluded from the Class are: (a) directors, officers, and employees of NWRPC; (b) the Judge assigned to the Action, that Judge’s immediate family, and Court staff; and (c) any Settlement Class Members who properly opt-out of the Settlement.
If you are not sure whether you are a Settlement Class Member, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
NWRPC Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
(833) 647-9066
info@DataSettlementNWRPC.com
You may also view the Settlement Agreement.
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All Settlement Class Members may claim Credit Data Monitoring and one of two Cash Payment options. The benefits are explained in more detail below.
Credit Data Monitoring. All Settlement Class Members may elect to receive three years of Credit Data Monitoring with one credit bureau. If anything suspicious happens, you will be able to talk to a fraud resolution agent to help fix any problems.
Cash Payments. Settlement Class Members may submit a claim for one of the two following cash payment options.
Cash Payment A – Documented Losses. If you incurred actual, documented out-of-pocket losses due to the Data Incident, you can get back up to $3,000.00. The losses must have occurred between August 31, 2024, and April 24, 2026. This benefit covers out-of-pocket expenses like:
losses because of identity theft or fraud
fees for credit reports, Credit Data Monitoring, or freezing and unfreezing your credit
cost to replace your IDs
postage to contact banks by mail
You need to send proof, like receipts, to show how much you spent or lost. Your personal certifications, declarations, or affidavits do not constitute reasonable documentation to make a valid claim, but you may include that to provide clarification, context, or support for other submitted reasonable documentation showing 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.
OR
Cash Payment B – Alternate Cash. Instead of Cash Payment A, you may claim a one-time $50.00 cash payment. You do not have to provide any proof or explanation to claim this payment.
There is an aggregate cap of $1,200,000.00 for Settlement Class Cash Payments. This means that if the total for all Settlement Class Cash Payments claims is over $1,200,000.00, everyone’s payment will be subject to a pro rata decrease so that the total amount is $1,200,000.00.
If you have questions about these benefits, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
NWRPC Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
(833) 647-9066
info@DataSettlementNWRPC.com
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If you stay in the Settlement Class, you won’t be able to be part of any other lawsuit against NWRPC about the issues that this Settlement covers. The “Releases” section of the Settlement Agreement (Section XII) describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Settlement Class.
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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:
NWRPC Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
You may also contact the Settlement Administrator to request a Claim Form by telephone, toll free, (833) 647-9066, by email info@DataSettlementNWRPC.com, or by U.S. mail at the address above.
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If you are submitting a Claim Form online, you must do so by April 24, 2026. If you are submitting a Claim by U.S. mail, the completed and signed Claim Form, including supporting documentation, must be postmarked no later than April 24, 2026.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on June 12, 2026 (see Question 18). 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.
Please be patient.
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Yes, the Court has appointed attorneys Kaleigh N. Boyd of Tousley Brain Stephens PLLC; Jeff Ostrow of Kopelowitz Ostrow P.A.; and Gary Klinger of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman PLLC, to represent you and other Settlement 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 up to $400,000.00 as reasonable attorneys' fees and costs of litigation. This amount will be paid by NWRPC.
Class Counsel will also ask for Service Award payments of $2,500.00 for each of the Class Representatives. Service Award payments will also be paid by NWRPC.
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If you do not want to be part of the Settlement, you must formally exclude yourself from the Settlement. This is called an Opt-Out Request. If you opt-out, you are telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. You will not be eligible to receive any Settlement benefits if you opt-out. However, you will keep any rights you may have to sue NWRPC on your own about the legal issues in this case. The deadline to opt-out of the Settlement is April 24, 2026.
To be valid, your Opt-Out Request must have the following information:
the name of the Action: Shaeffer v. NWRPC, LLC, Case No. 25-2-08462-6, pending in the Superior Court of Pierce County, Washington;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
personal signature; and
the words “Opt-Out Request” or a clear and similar statement that you do not want to participate in the Settlement.
You may only exclude yourself—not any other person.
Mail your Opt-Out Request to the Settlement Administrator at:
NWRPC Data Incident Settlement
ATTN: Exclusion Request
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
Your Opt-Out Request must be postmarked by April 24, 2026.
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If you are a Settlement 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 cannot object if you have opted-out from the Settlement (see Question 15)
You must provide the following information for the Court to consider your objection:
the name of the Action: Shaeffer v. NWRPC, LLC, Case No. 25-2-08462-6, pending in the Superior Court of Pierce County, Washington;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if any);
all grounds for the objection, accompanied by any legal support for the objection known to the objector or objector's counsel;
the number of times the objector has objected to a class action settlement within the five years preceding the date that the objector files the objection, the caption of each case in which the objector has made such objection, and a copy of any orders related to or ruling upon the objector's prior objections that were issued by the trial and appellate courts in each listed case;
the identity of all counsel (if any) who represent the objector, including any former or current counsel who may claim an entitlement to compensation for any reason related to the objection to the Settlement and/or Application for Attorneys' Fees, Costs, and Service Awards and whether they will appear at the Final Approval Hearing;
the number of times in which the objector's counsel and/or counsel's law firm have objected to a class action settlement within the five years preceding the date of the filed objection, the caption of each case in which counsel or the firm has made such objection and a copy of any orders related to or ruling upon counsel's or the counsel's law firm's prior objections that were issued by the trial and appellate courts in each listed case in which the objector's counsel and/or counsel's law firm have objected to a class action settlement within the preceding five years;
a list of all persons who will be called to testify at the Final Approval Hearing in support of the objection (if any);
a statement confirming whether the objector intends to personally appear and/or testify at the Final Approval Hearing; and
your signature (if you have hired your own lawyer, their signature is not sufficient).
For your objection to be considered, 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 April 24, 2026. You must also send a copy of the objection by U.S. Mail to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and NWRPC’s Counsel.
Clerk of the Court | Settlement Administrator | Counsel for NWRPC |
Clerk of the Court | NWRPC Data Incident Settlement | Kristin McAlister Brown |
Class Counsel | ||
Jeff Ostrow | Gary Klinger | Kaleigh N. Boyd |
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Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not opt-out from the Settlement. Opting-out from the Settlement is stating to the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you opt-out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on June 12, 2026 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, in Department 16 of the Superior Court of Pierce County, Washington, at 930 Tacoma Avenue S, Tacoma, WA 98402.
At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. The Court will also decide Class Counsel’s request for an attorneys’ fees and costs award and the request for Service Awards to the Class Representatives. The Court will also consider any timely objections to the Settlement.
If you are a Settlement Class Member, you or your lawyer may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost (see Question 16).
The date and 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 a benefit 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:
NWRPC Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
(833) 647-9066
info@DataSettlementNWRPC.com
Do not contact the Court or Clerk of Court regarding this Settlement.
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