AT&T data breach settlement
$177 million in two funds: $149 million for the March 2024 dark web data set (AT&T 1) and $28 million for the July 2024 Snowflake call-records download (AT&T 2). Neither fund reverts to AT&T. source
In re: AT&T Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation 路 MDL No. 3:24-md-03114-E (lead case 3:24-cv-00757-D) 路 U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas 路 Senior Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater (Judge Ada E. Brown until August 2026)
Where it stands
The court granted final approval on October 2, 2026 and claims are closed, but the administrator says no payments have been issued and none are expected in 2026, because money only moves once the settlement becomes effective after the appeal period and any appeals. Official update, Oct 30, 2026
Who qualifies
- AT&T 1 class: living people in the United States whose data (some mix of names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, account passcodes, billing account numbers and Social Security numbers) was in the data set AT&T announced on March 30, 2024. source
- AT&T 2 class: AT&T account owners and line or end users whose phone numbers, the numbers they called or texted, interaction counts, call durations and, for a small subset, cell site IDs were in the Snowflake download AT&T announced on July 12, 2024. source
- Customers of carriers that run on the AT&T network (MVNOs) count as line or end users in the AT&T 2 class. source
- People in both groups (overlap members) could claim under both, but each documented-loss claim needed its own, separate proof. source
What each group gets
| Who | Amount |
|---|---|
| AT&T 1, documented losses | Up to $5,000 for losses in 2019 or later, with documents showing they are fairly traceable to the AT&T 1 incident. |
| AT&T 1, Tier 1 (Social Security number exposed) | A pro rata share of the AT&T 1 net fund, five times a Tier 2 payment. The administrator's estimate cited by the court: $39 to $40. |
| AT&T 1, Tier 2 (no Social Security number exposed) | A pro rata share of the AT&T 1 net fund. Estimate cited by the court: $7.50 to $8.10. |
| AT&T 2, documented losses | Up to $2,500 per class member for losses on or after April 14, 2024, with documents tying them to the AT&T 2 incident. Line or end users could claim only this payment. |
| AT&T 2, Tier 3 (account owners) | A pro rata share of the AT&T 2 net fund instead of a documented-loss payment. Estimate cited by the court: $6.50 to $7.10. |
| Class counsel | $49,666,666 in fees from the AT&T 1 fund and $9,333,333 from the AT&T 2 fund, plus $828,612.64 and $231,438.36 in expenses. |
Key dates
- Mar 30, 2024 AT&T announces that AT&T data fields were in a data set released on the dark web (AT&T 1) source
- Jul 12, 2024 AT&T announces call and text records were illegally downloaded from its Snowflake cloud workspace (AT&T 2) source
- May 30, 2025 Settlement agreement signed and consolidated class action complaint filed source
- Jun 20, 2025 Judge Ada E. Brown grants preliminary approval source
- Oct 3, 2025 Court extends the opt-out, objection and claim deadlines source
- Nov 17, 2025 Deadline to opt out or object source
- Dec 18, 2025 Claim deadline source
- Jan 15, 2026 Final approval hearing before Judge Brown source
- Aug 17, 2026 Case reassigned to Senior Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater after Judge Brown recused on August 14 source
- Oct 2, 2026 Final approval granted, with a change to the cy pres process source
What the case was about
On March 30, 2024, AT&T said a data set posted on the dark web held information tied to about 7.6 million current and 65.4 million former account holders. Depending on the person, it could include Social Security numbers, names, email and mailing addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, account numbers and passcodes. AT&T said the data appeared to be from 2019 or earlier and reset the passcodes of affected current customers. The class complaint alleged that AT&T's systems were compromised in 2019 and that the data set was on the dark web by August 20, 2021, almost three years before the company announced it.
Three and a half months later, on July 12, 2024, AT&T disclosed a second incident. Files had been taken from an AT&T workspace on Snowflake, a third-party cloud platform, between April 14 and April 25, 2024. They held call and text metadata for nearly all AT&T wireless customers, covering roughly May to October 2022 plus January 2, 2023: the numbers customers interacted with, how often, aggregate call times and, for some, cell site IDs. The court order notes the data did not include message content, names or Social Security numbers.
The lawsuits over the two incidents were first handled in different courts, one in Texas and one in Montana as part of the wider Snowflake litigation. In March 2025 the parties agreed to settle both together in Texas, with claims under the Communications Act, other federal telecom laws, breach of implied contract and negligence. AT&T agreed to pay $177 million without admitting liability or wrongdoing. The fund cannot revert to AT&T; money left over goes back to class members or to a cy pres recipient, and the court changed how that recipient is chosen after objectors questioned the original pick.
Fraud shaped the claims process. Kroll received 4,918,073 claims by August 24, 2026 and rejected 1,099,732 as late, duplicate, fraudulent or ineligible; 804,381, about 16% of all claims, were declined as fraud after a review by an outside firm, Covalynt. About 45 objectors filed objections, some arguing the deal was worse than the T-Mobile breach settlement. Senior Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater, who took over after Judge Ada E. Brown recused, overruled those objections and approved the deal on October 2, 2026, awarding class counsel one third of each fund.
The company's full record: AT&T file.
Questions people ask
When will I get my AT&T settlement payment?
Not in 2026, according to the administrator. Payments can only be made once the settlement becomes effective, which happens after the time to appeal ends and any post-judgment motions or appeals are resolved. source
How much is the AT&T data breach settlement per person?
It depends on the tier and the number of valid claims. The administrator's estimates cited in the final approval order are $39 to $40 for Tier 1, $7.50 to $8.10 for Tier 2 and $6.50 to $7.10 for Tier 3; documented losses were capped at $5,000 (AT&T 1) and $2,500 (AT&T 2). source
Can I still file an AT&T settlement claim?
No. The claim deadline was December 18, 2025 and the settlement site says claim submissions are closed. source
I filed a valid AT&T claim. Do I need to do anything else?
The administrator says people with valid claims do not need to do anything further while the settlement waits to become effective. source
Why was my AT&T settlement claim rejected?
Kroll rejected 1,099,732 of about 4.9 million claims as late, duplicate, fraudulent, released, withdrawn or from ineligible businesses. Of those, 804,381 were declined for fraud after a review by the firm Covalynt. source
How will AT&T settlement payments be sent?
The settlement agreement provides for payments electronically or by paper check within 60 days after the effective date. source
Status history
- Mar 30, 2024 AT&T announces the dark web data set covering about 7.6 million current and 65.4 million former account holders. source
- Jul 12, 2024 AT&T discloses the theft of call and text records from its Snowflake workspace. source
- Jun 20, 2025 Preliminary approval of the combined $177 million settlement; Kroll appointed administrator. source
- Dec 18, 2025 Claims close after the court extended the deadline. source
- Jan 15, 2026 Final approval hearing held before Judge Ada E. Brown. source
- Aug 17, 2026 Case reassigned to Senior Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater after Judge Brown's recusal. source
- Oct 2, 2026 Final approval granted over objections, with a change to the cy pres process. source
- Oct 30, 2026 Administrator posts that payments have not been issued and are not expected in 2026. source