A class-action lawsuit has been filed against RailWorks accusing the company to be inefficient in handling the privacy of certain current and former employees’ credentials, that of their dependents and beneficiaries, and vendors who received a form 1099 from the IRS during the cyberattack of 14th January 2020. Under the terms of the settlement, employees will be eligible for a maximum reimbursement of $50 for the lost time and identity theft protection following the 2020 data breach.
RailWorks is a rail contractor offering services for transit and industrial projects alongside tech solutions. Though it has denied all charges of wrongdoing, it has agreed to honor the terms of the settlement. RailWorks has decided to expand its internal cyber-awareness communications by providing annual security training to certain personnel in 2021 and 2022. It has also agreed to carry out a penetration test within a year of the final judgment date in the class action lawsuit.
Eligibility for Making Claim: The claim can be made by any individual who is a resident or citizen of the United States and is a current or former employee, dependent of a current or former employee, beneficiary, or a vendor of RailWorks who received IRS Form 1099 and whose personal information got impacted by the security mishap.
Proof of Purchase: Phone records, receipts, bank statements, and similar documents which offer a detailed narrative description and/or reveal the amount of time spent. If claims are being made on the behalf of a claimant, then adequate documentation like a death certificate, proof of authority, and other applicable documentation will have to be submitted.
Potential Claim Amount: Class members can claim a maximum of $50 as reimbursement for lost time. This is applicable for class members who spent time trying to remedy various issues related to identity theft that was caused due to the RailWorks data breach. However, for making the claim, Class Members need to submit the claim form alongside related documentation for up to five hours @ $10 per hour, up to a maximum limit of $50. This can be claimed if the class members enrolled with RailWorks identity theft protection and monitoring service before incurring the lost time.
RailWorks has also agreed to pay for identity theft protection and credit monitoring through 1st April 2023 for all Class Members who had signed up for a year’s credit monitoring and identity theft protection service offered by RailWorks for the January 2020 security incident before the filing of the lawsuit. No claim form is required for the same. Class Members who submit a claim form requesting identity theft protection within 30 days of passing the class action lawsuit’s final judgment can also avail of the monitoring. Class Members should not have claimed reimbursement from other sources like insurance.
Claim Form: RailWorks Data Breach – Submit a Claim Instructions (rwcolemansettlement.com)
Deadline for Submitting Claim: 30 days following the grant of final approval or 12th June 2021 for identity protection claims. 18th May 2021 for time reimbursement claims if the last date when the Class members were expended was before 19th March 2021. Lost claims shall be due 60 days following the last date of when the Class members were expended but within 1st April 2023.
Final Hearing Date: 13th May 2021
Settlement Website: RWColemanSettlement.com