JBS Mental Health Data Breach Settlement Claims Due December 23

Key facts

Case: Mykel Meyer, et al. v. Jefferson-Blount-St. Clair Mental Health Authority, No. 01-CV-2026-901158.00
Court: Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama, Birmingham Division
Current status: Proposed settlement with preliminary court approval. The court has not granted final approval.
Who may qualify: U.S. residents whose private information was determined to have been potentially affected in the November 25, 2025 incident, including people sent a notice letter
Settlement fund: $700,000, non-reversionary
Benefits: Up to $5,000 for documented losses or an adjustable $100 cash payment, plus three years of one-bureau credit monitoring and identity-theft protection
Opt-out and objection deadline: November 23, 2026
Claim deadline: December 23, 2026
Final approval hearing: February 16, 2027 at 10:30 a.m. Central Time

What happened

A court-authorized claims process is open in a proposed $700,000 settlement involving Jefferson-Blount-St. Clair Mental Health Authority, commonly called JBS Mental Health Authority, and a November 2025 cyberattack. People whose information was identified as potentially affected may be able to claim cash and credit-monitoring benefits.

JBS says it learned around November 25, 2025 that it was the victim of a ransomware attack. Ransomware is malicious software or related unauthorized activity used to disrupt access to computer systems, often while attackers seek payment. JBS's public notice states that unauthorized network access occurred on November 25 and that certain files may have been accessed or acquired.

The settlement agreement says JBS posted a public notice on January 23, 2026 and began mailing individual notices around March 9. Multiple proposed class actions followed and were consolidated into the current Alabama state-court case. The plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on May 11 and the parties mediated on June 5. They later reached the proposed settlement.

The plaintiffs allege that JBS did not adequately protect private information. JBS denies wrongdoing, fault, and liability. The court has not decided that JBS violated any law. Preliminary approval allowed notice and claims administration to begin, but it is not a final ruling on the settlement or the allegations.

Claim deadline

Claims must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 23, 2026, or mailed with a December 23 postmark. The deadline to opt out or object is one month earlier, on November 23.

Who JBS Mental Health Authority is

JBS Mental Health Authority is an Alabama nonprofit created to help plan, coordinate, develop, and provide mental-health services in Jefferson, Blount, and St. Clair counties. Its official website describes services for children, youth, and adults, including outpatient treatment, psychiatric care, residential programs, case management, and community support.

Those services explain why JBS may hold both identity information and sensitive health records. Patients and families may encounter the organization through clinics, treatment programs, billing, insurance processing, care coordination, residential services, or referrals from schools and public agencies. Employees may also have information in JBS systems.

The settlement agreement says the organization collected and maintained personally identifiable information and protected health information belonging to current and former patients and employees. Personally identifiable information, often called PII, is information that can identify or be linked to a person. Protected health information, or PHI, is individually identifiable health information handled by certain healthcare organizations and their business partners.

CPT Group is the court-approved settlement administrator. It operates the official website, accepts claims, handles notices, reviews documentation, and distributes benefits after the settlement becomes final. Class Action Pulse is not the administrator and does not receive claim forms.

What information may have been involved

The settlement agreement lists names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, health-insurance information, medical-record numbers, Medicare or Medicaid information, diagnoses, physician information, billing and claims information, prescription and medication information, and diagnostic or treatment information among the data JBS maintained.

JBS's incident notice says the files may have related to some patients or employees between 2011 and 2025. The exact information differed by person. A category appearing in the public notice does not mean it was involved for every recipient. An individual's JBS notice is the more specific source for that person's affected data.

The current public record does not establish that every notice recipient experienced identity theft, insurance misuse, fraud, or a financial loss. Potential access or acquisition and actual misuse are different facts. The settlement provides a documented-loss option for people who can connect a loss to the incident, while offering a separate cash option that does not require proof of a specific loss.

Use your individual notice

The settlement class is tied to JBS's records of potentially affected people. Receiving mental-health services from JBS does not by itself prove that a person is included.

Who may qualify

The court preliminarily certified a settlement class of individuals residing in the United States or its territories whose private information was determined to have been potentially affected in the incident, including all people sent a notice letter. The agreement estimates approximately 29,486 class members.

The class excludes JBS governing-board members, governmental entities, the judge and immediate family, court staff, and anyone who validly opts out. The administrator makes claim and class-membership decisions under the approved documents.

A claimant needs the unique ID and passcode supplied with the mailed notice to submit an online claim. The notice directs people who are uncertain about class membership to contact CPT Group at 1-888-716-0970 or JBSSettlement@cptgroup.com.

Doing nothing does not produce a payment or monitoring benefit. Unless a person validly opts out, doing nothing also leaves that person bound by the settlement and its release if final approval is granted. People who want to preserve the ability to bring their own released claims must follow the official opt-out instructions by November 23. People who remain in the class may object by the same deadline. Those choices have different legal consequences, and this article cannot advise a reader which option to choose.

What the settlement offers

The agreement creates a $700,000 non-reversionary fund. Non-reversionary means money remaining under the approved distribution structure does not return to JBS. The same fund pays valid claims, settlement administration, court-approved attorneys' fees and costs, service awards, and taxes. Those deductions and the number of valid claims affect final cash payments.

Cash Payment A for documented losses

A class member may request up to $5,000 for documented losses related to the incident. The claimant must attest under penalty of perjury that the losses were incurred and provide reasonable third-party documentation. The agreement says expenses already reimbursed by another source cannot be reimbursed again.

Documents could include statements, invoices, receipts, or other independent records showing the loss and its connection to the incident. Self-created explanations may help provide context, but the official terms require third-party support. CPT Group can ask for more information and may reduce or deny a claim that remains incomplete or unsupported.

If the documented-loss claim is rejected and the deficiency is not cured, the agreement says the claim will be treated as an election for Cash Payment B rather than automatically receiving the requested amount.

Cash Payment B, initially stated as $100

Instead of documented losses, a class member may elect a $100 cash payment. The $100 figure is not guaranteed. It can increase or decrease proportionally based on the number of valid claims and the net money available.

Pro rata means the administrator adjusts payments by the same percentage when valid claims either leave money available or exceed the net settlement fund. No authoritative source can establish the final individual cash payment before claim review, approved deductions, and allocation are complete.

Three years of credit monitoring

Class members may also claim three years of one-bureau credit monitoring and identity-theft protection with at least $1 million in identity-theft insurance. The agreement allows this benefit in addition to either cash option. Credit monitoring can alert a person to certain credit-file changes, but it cannot prevent every form of identity or medical-information misuse.

No fixed payout is guaranteed

The documented-loss option requires proof. The $100 option can change. All benefits depend on a valid claim and the settlement becoming final.

How to file a claim

Start at JBSSettlement.com, the official website operated by CPT Group. The online form requires the unique ID and passcode from the notice. A class member may submit one claim form and select either the documented-loss option or the adjustable cash option. Credit monitoring may be selected with either cash choice.

Online claims must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 23, 2026. Mailed claims must be postmarked by that date. The official mailing address is Jefferson-Blount-St. Clair Data Security Incident, c/o CPT Group, Inc., P.O. Box 19504, Irvine, CA 92623.

Keep a copy of the completed form, the submission confirmation, and every supporting document. If the administrator identifies a curable problem, the agreement generally gives a claimant until the claim deadline or 21 days from the deficiency notice, whichever is later, to respond.

Do not send a Social Security number, medical record, claim passcode, insurance information, or loss documents to a news website. Use only the official administrator's claim channel.

What the lawsuit alleges and what remains disputed

The plaintiffs allege JBS was negligent or otherwise legally responsible for failing to prevent the incident. Negligence generally asks whether a defendant owed a duty of reasonable care, failed to meet the applicable standard, and caused legally recognized harm. Those elements have not been decided after a trial.

The settlement agreement says JBS denies every allegation, disclaims fault and liability, and entered the agreement to avoid the expense, delay, risk, and disruption of further litigation. A negotiated settlement is not an admission.

The court's August 25 amended order conditionally certified the class for settlement purposes and found the agreement fair enough to send notice. The order states that preliminary approval is not a finding that the claims are valid, that JBS did anything wrong, or that any law was violated.

The record also leaves important issues unresolved. The court has not granted final approval. The number of valid claims is unknown. Attorneys' fees, costs, service awards, and administration expenses require court approval. The final cash amount and distribution date cannot yet be calculated.

What the court has decided

The court authorized notice and claims administration. It has not made a liability finding or finally approved the settlement.

Case timeline and current status

November 25, 2025: JBS says it learned of a ransomware attack and identified unauthorized network access on that date.
January 23, 2026: JBS posted a public incident notice and notified local media, according to the agreement.
March 9, 2026: JBS began mailing notices to potentially affected people.
May 11, 2026: Plaintiffs filed the amended class action complaint.
June 5, 2026: The parties mediated and later agreed on material settlement terms.
August 25, 2026: Judge Chuck Price granted preliminary approval and amended the hearing date in a later order that day.
November 23, 2026: Deadline to opt out or object.
December 23, 2026: Deadline to submit a claim.
February 16, 2027: Final approval hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

The hearing date or format can change. The amended order says the court will tell the parties whether the hearing will be held in person or by video. Class members should check the official website for updates.

What happens next

CPT Group will continue accepting claims through December 23. It will review class membership, benefit elections, signatures, and supporting records. The administrator may send deficiency notices and will use measures intended to identify duplicate or fraudulent claims.

Before the final approval hearing, the parties will submit materials about notice, claims, objections, opt-outs, attorneys' fees, costs, and service awards. On February 16, the court is scheduled to consider whether the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and whether to enter final judgment.

If final approval is granted, the settlement still must reach its effective date. That generally requires the time for appeals or other review to expire, or any review to conclude without a material change. The agreement calls for benefits to be distributed no later than 75 days after the effective date, but that does not create a guaranteed calendar payment date now.

People should keep their contact information current with CPT Group and retain their notice, claim confirmation, and supporting records until the process is complete.

Frequently asked questions

Who can file a JBS Mental Health settlement claim?

U.S. residents whose private information was determined to have been potentially affected in the November 25, 2025 incident, including people sent a notice letter, may be included. CPT Group makes claim decisions under the settlement documents.

What is the claim deadline?

December 23, 2026. Online claims are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Mailed forms must be postmarked by that date.

How much can I receive?

A valid claimant may seek up to $5,000 for documented losses or elect a cash payment initially stated as $100. The $100 amount can increase or decrease, and documented-loss claims require proof.

Can I also receive credit monitoring?

Yes. The agreement allows three years of one-bureau credit monitoring and identity-theft protection in addition to either cash option.

What information was involved?

The records identify several possible categories, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, insurance information, medical-record numbers, Medicare or Medicaid information, diagnoses, physician information, billing and claims information, prescriptions, and treatment information. The data differed by person.

Did JBS admit wrongdoing?

No. JBS denies the allegations, fault, and liability. The court has not found that JBS violated the law.

When will payments be sent?

No calendar payment date is guaranteed. Final approval, the effective date, any review, and claim processing must occur first.

Where should I file?

Use JBSSettlement.com or the official paper form. Do not send claim materials to Class Action Pulse.