Dartmouth Oracle Data Breach Settlement Claims Due October 21

Key facts

Case: In re Oracle Corporation Data Breach Litigation, Dartmouth portion, No. 1:25-cv-01805-ADA-SH
Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division
Current status: The court preliminarily approved the Dartmouth settlement. Plaintiffs moved for final approval on September 21, 2026. The court has not yet entered final approval.
Who may qualify: Living U.S. residents who were sent a Dartmouth notice saying their private information may have been affected in the incident
Settlement fund: $750,000, non-reversionary
Benefits: An estimated $75 proportional cash payment, up to $5,000 for documented losses, and two years of one-bureau credit monitoring
Opt-out and objection deadline: October 6, 2026
Claim deadline: October 21, 2026
Final approval hearing: November 5, 2026 at 9 a.m. Central Time

What happened

A court-authorized claims process is open in a proposed $750,000 settlement involving Dartmouth College and a 2025 cybersecurity incident affecting an Oracle business system used by the college. The official settlement website says people who received Dartmouth's November 2025 incident notice may qualify for cash and credit-monitoring benefits.

The incident was part of broader litigation over Oracle E-Business Suite, often shortened to Oracle EBS. Plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint against Oracle and several organizations that used the software. The Dartmouth agreement resolves the claims against Dartmouth only. The official site states that remaining in or leaving the Dartmouth settlement will not affect a person's ability to participate in a future settlement with a non-settling defendant.

The court granted preliminary approval on July 1, 2026. Preliminary approval allows notice and claims administration to proceed while the court decides whether the agreement is fair enough to become final. Plaintiffs filed a motion for final approval on September 21. The judge is scheduled to consider the settlement on November 5.

Claim deadline

A claim must be submitted online or postmarked by October 21, 2026. People who want to opt out or object face an earlier October 6 deadline.

Who Dartmouth and Oracle are

Dartmouth College is a nonprofit educational institution based in Hanover, New Hampshire. The settlement concerns information connected with Dartmouth, including records associated with people who later received a Dartmouth incident notice.

Oracle Corporation provides database, cloud, and enterprise software. Oracle E-Business Suite is a group of business applications organizations use for functions such as finance, procurement, human resources, payroll, projects, and other back-office operations. Dartmouth's own systems guidance identifies Oracle applications used for employee self-service, expenses, procurement, financial reporting, and related administrative work.

This relationship matters because Dartmouth used an Oracle application to handle institutional information. The consolidated complaint treats Oracle as the software provider and Dartmouth as one of several customer organizations whose records were allegedly accessed. The Dartmouth settlement does not resolve the entire case against Oracle or the other defendants.

How Oracle E-Business Suite fits the case

Oracle EBS stores and processes business information inside modules used by large organizations. In practical terms, an institution may use it to pay employees and vendors, manage benefits, record expenses, buy supplies, and maintain related administrative data. Those functions can involve sensitive identity and financial information.

The consolidated complaint alleges that attackers exploited a previously unknown software weakness affecting Oracle EBS. A previously unknown flaw is often called a zero-day vulnerability because the vendor and customers may have had no advance time to install a fix before exploitation began. The complaint identifies the vulnerability as CVE-2025-61882. CVE is a standard naming system for publicly tracked cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

The complaint alleges that the group known as Cl0p used the vulnerability to access and take information from Oracle EBS environments beginning in or around August 2025. Those allegations cover several organizations and remain disputed. The Dartmouth settlement is a compromise, not a court finding that Dartmouth or Oracle violated the law.

Who may qualify

The preliminary approval order defines the Dartmouth settlement class as all living people residing in the United States who were sent notice by Dartmouth that their private information may have been affected in the data incident.

The official website describes private information as personally identifiable information involving some combination of names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and financial account information. The categories varied by person. Receiving the Dartmouth notice is central to the class definition, so merely attending Dartmouth, working there, receiving medical care through an affiliated organization, or using an Oracle product does not establish eligibility by itself.

The order excludes Dartmouth directors, officers, members, and agents, related controlled entities, government entities, the assigned judge and certain court personnel and family members, people criminally responsible for the incident, and people who validly opt out.

The final approval motion says the administrator identified 96,911 unique settlement class member records. It also says notice reached about 94,035 people, or approximately 97 percent of the identified class, by email, postcard, or both. Those figures describe the notice program. They do not guarantee that every identified person will file a valid claim or receive a particular amount.

Who should check the notice

The class is based on Dartmouth's incident-notice records. Use the unique ID and PIN on the notice when filing online, or follow the official site's paper-claim instructions.

What class members may claim

The agreement creates a $750,000 non-reversionary common fund. Non-reversionary means unused money does not automatically return to Dartmouth under the agreement. The fund also pays settlement administration, court-approved attorneys' fees and costs, and service awards. These deductions affect the amount available for class-member benefits.

Estimated $75 proportional cash payment

A class member may request Cash Payment B without documenting a financial loss. The official site estimates this payment at $75. It is proportional, or pro rata, so the final amount may increase or decrease based on the total value of valid claims and the money remaining after approved deductions.

The $75 figure is an estimate, not a guaranteed check. The current record does not support calculating a final payment before claims are reviewed.

Up to $5,000 for documented losses

Cash Payment A offers up to $5,000 for documented losses related to the incident. The claim form requires reasonable documentation. Records may include receipts, statements, invoices, or other proof showing an eligible expense or loss and its connection to the incident.

The $5,000 amount is a maximum under the settlement, not an automatic award. The administrator may request more information. A claim can be reduced or denied if it lacks support, falls outside the agreement, or seeks reimbursement already received from another source.

Two years of credit monitoring

Class members may also request two years of monitoring from one credit bureau. The official site states that this benefit may be claimed in addition to the cash options. Credit monitoring can alert a person to certain changes in a credit file. It does not prevent all identity theft, reverse a fraudulent transaction, or guarantee reimbursement.

Benefits can be combined, but the fund is limited

The official site allows a class member to request documented losses, proportional cash, and credit monitoring. Cash amounts remain subject to claim review and the fund's allocation rules.

How to file a claim

Start at OracleDartmouthDataSettlement.com, the court-authorized settlement website administered by Epiq Class Action & Claims Solutions. Online filing uses the unique ID and PIN printed on the email or postcard notice. The site also provides a paper claim form for mailing.

Submit the online form or have a mailed form postmarked by October 21, 2026. Keep the submission confirmation, a copy of the form, and copies of any documents provided for a loss claim.

The official site lists info@OracleDartmouthDataSettlement.com and 1-877-357-7730 for questions. Claimants should use the administrator's current instructions rather than sending private information to a news website.

No lawyer is required to submit a settlement claim. A person considering an objection, an opt-out, or a separate lawsuit may want independent legal advice. Class Action Pulse is not a law firm and cannot advise a reader which option to choose.

What the complaint alleges

The consolidated complaint alleges that Oracle and customer organizations failed to use reasonable safeguards for private information stored or processed through Oracle EBS. It alleges that Cl0p accessed information through CVE-2025-61882 and later exposed or threatened to expose stolen data.

The plaintiffs brought claims including negligence, invasion of privacy, and California privacy-law claims. These are allegations in a complaint. A complaint states the plaintiffs' version of the case and the legal relief they seek. It is not evidence that a judge or jury has accepted those claims.

For the Dartmouth portion, the named plaintiffs include a former Dartmouth student and a former Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center patient. The complaint alleges that information linked to Dartmouth was among the records accessed. The settlement site describes the potentially affected information more narrowly for this settlement as names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and financial account information, depending on the person.

The plaintiffs' final approval motion states that the incident occurred and that certain unencrypted information was potentially accessed and taken. It also says liability, causation, damages, and whether Dartmouth's conduct fell below a legal standard remain disputed.

What Dartmouth disputes

Dartmouth denies liability and wrongdoing. The settlement agreement states that Dartmouth does not admit or concede the complaint's allegations. The parties agreed to settle to avoid the cost, delay, and uncertainty of continued litigation.

The court has not decided that Dartmouth caused the incident, failed a legal duty, or owes damages after a trial. It has conditionally certified the class for settlement purposes and found that the agreement was likely suitable for final approval. That is a procedural decision allowing the settlement process to continue, not a merits ruling.

The record also does not establish that every class member suffered fraud, identity theft, or an out-of-pocket loss. The cash option and credit-monitoring benefit recognize that affected people may face different circumstances. Documented-loss claims require individual support.

What remains undecided

The court still must decide whether to grant final approval. No payment date or final proportional cash amount is guaranteed at this stage.

Case timeline and current status

August 2025: The consolidated complaint alleges that attackers exploited the Oracle EBS vulnerability and accessed data.
November 2025: Dartmouth sent notices to people whose information may have been affected.
March 6, 2026: Plaintiffs filed the consolidated class action complaint.
June 23, 2026: The parties filed the Dartmouth settlement agreement with the court.
July 1, 2026: The court granted preliminary approval, conditionally certified the settlement class, approved the notice program, and appointed Epiq as administrator.
September 21, 2026: Plaintiffs filed their motion asking the court for final approval.
October 6, 2026: Deadline to opt out or object.
October 21, 2026: Deadline to submit a claim.
November 5, 2026: Final approval hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Central Time.

The final approval motion says that, as of September 9, the administrator had received one exclusion request and no objections. The objection deadline had not yet passed when the motion was filed, so those counts were not final.

The motion asks for attorneys' fees of $250,000, reimbursement of approximately $30,044.81 in litigation costs, and $3,000 service awards for the Dartmouth class representatives. The judge will decide whether to approve those requests. They would be paid from the same settlement fund.

What happens next

The administrator will continue accepting claims through October 21. It will review class membership, claimed benefits, and supporting documents under the agreement. People who want to leave the class or object must follow the separate October 6 procedures on the official site.

At the November 5 hearing, the court will consider final approval, settlement-class certification, fees, costs, service awards, and any timely objections. The hearing date may change. Class members should check the official site before relying on it.

If the court grants final approval, the settlement must become effective under the agreement. Appeals or other court proceedings can delay distribution. Only after the administrator knows the valid claims and approved deductions can it calculate the final proportional cash amount.

If the settlement is not approved or does not become effective, the preliminary approval order says the parties return to their earlier litigation positions. The current claims process does not guarantee that the agreement will become final.

Frequently asked questions

Who can file a Dartmouth Oracle settlement claim?

Living U.S. residents who were sent a Dartmouth notice stating that their private information may have been affected may be in the settlement class. The administrator makes the eligibility decision under the court-approved records.

What is the claim deadline?

October 21, 2026. Online claims must be submitted by that date. Mailed claims must be postmarked by that date.

How much can I receive?

The settlement offers an estimated $75 proportional cash payment, up to $5,000 for documented losses, and two years of one-bureau credit monitoring. The final cash amount can increase or decrease.

Can I request both cash options and credit monitoring?

The official site says class members may request documented losses, proportional cash, and credit monitoring. Every benefit remains subject to the form, verification, and allocation rules.

Do I need proof?

The documented-loss option requires reasonable documentation. The no-document cash option does not require proof of a financial loss, but the administrator still verifies class membership.

Did Dartmouth admit wrongdoing?

No. Dartmouth denies liability and wrongdoing. The court has not decided the allegations after a trial.

When will payments be sent?

No payment date is guaranteed. Final approval, any appeals, claim review, and allocation must occur first.

Where should I file?

Use OracleDartmouthDataSettlement.com or the official paper form. Do not send notices, identification numbers, or claim documents to Class Action Pulse.