1. Why was a 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 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 Circuit Court for Jackson County, Missouri, authorized a 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 lawsuit, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.
The lawsuit is called S.W., et al. v. Sunflower Medical Group, P.A., Case No. 2516-CV22364. It is pending in the Circuit Court for Jackson County, Missouri. The people that filed this lawsuit are called the “Plaintiffs” (or “Class Representatives”) and the company they sued, Sunflower Medical Group, P.A., is called the “Defendant.”
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This lawsuit alleges that during the December 2024 targeted cyberattack on Sunflower's computer systems, certain files that contained private information were accessed. These files may have contained personal information such as names; Social Security numbers; dates of birth; addresses; driver's license numbers; medical information; and health insurance information.
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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 Settlement, the Class Representatives are S.W.; B.W.; Cary Collins; Savannah Crowson; John Crisp; David Mindeman; Doug Conrad; Kay Johnson; Bryan Manion; Corey Orton; Lisa Cole; Charlesetta Jackson; T.K.; by and through their legal guardian Cody Murphy; J.N. and L.N.; by and through their legal guardian Tracie Nasca; Annie Mallory, and Catalina Murillo-Long. Everyone included in this Action are the Class Members.
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The Court did not decide whether the Plaintiffs or the Defendant are right. Both sides have agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and to allow the Class Members to receive benefits from the Settlement. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Class Members.
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The Court has defined the Class this way: “All individuals residing within the United States of America who received notice that their PII or PHI was potentially exposed to unauthorized third parties as a result of the Sunflower Medical Group cybersecurity incident.” In this definition “PII” means Personally Identifiable Information, and “PHI” means Protected Health Information.
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Yes. Excluded from the Class are: (1) the Judge in this case, and the Judge’s family and staff; (2) Sunflower and its employees, officers, and directors (unless they received a data breach notice); (3) governmental entities; and (4) anyone who validly excludes themselves from the Settlement.
If you are not sure whether you are a Class Member, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
Sunflower Data Breach Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
(833) 417-4945
info@SunflowerSettlement.com
You may also view the Settlement Agreement here.
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Sunflower has agreed to provide a number of benefits for Class Members. All Class Members are eligible to enroll in two (2) years of Medical Data Monitoring Services and one of two Cash Payment options. The benefits are explained in more detail below.
Medical Data Monitoring Services. All Class Members are eligible to enroll in two (2) years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete. This comprehensive service comes with $1 million of medical identity theft insurance, and includes monitoring for:
healthcare insurance ID exposure
Medical Record Number (MRN) exposure
unauthorized Health Savings Account (HSA) spending
If anything suspicious happens, you will be able to talk to a fraud resolution agent to help fix any problems.
Cash Payment Options. You may claim one of the following two cash payment options. The Settlement includes a $300,000.00 aggregate cap on all cash payments. This means that if the total amount of cash payment claimed is over $300,000.00, everyone’s payments will be reduced pro rata.
Option 1: Cash Payment for Documented Losses. If you incurred actual, documented out-of-pocket losses due to the Data Breach, you can get back up to $5,000.00. The losses must have occurred between December 15, 2024, and March 26, 2026. This benefit covers out-of-pocket expenses like:
losses because of identity theft or fraud
fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, or freezing and unfreezing your credit
cost to replace your IDs
postage to contact banks by mail
You need to send proof, like bank statements or receipts, to show how much you spent or lost. You can also send notes or papers you made yourself to explain or support other proof, but those notes or papers alone are not enough to make a valid claim.
Option 2: Alternative Cash Payment. Instead of Option 1, you may claim a one-time $10.00 cash payment. You do not have to provide any proof or explanation to claim this payment.
If you have questions about these benefits, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
Sunflower Data Breach Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
(833) 417-4945
info@SunflowerSettlement.com
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If you stay in the class, you won’t be able to be part of any other lawsuit against the Blood Centers about the issues that this Settlement covers. The “Releases” section of the Settlement Agreement (Section XI) describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Class. The Settlement Agreement is available here.
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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 mail it to the Settlement Administrator at:
Sunflower Data Breach Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
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If you are submitting a Claim Form online, you must do so by March 26, 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 March 26, 2026.
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The Court will hold a final approval hearing on March 6, 2026 (see FAQ 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.
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Yes, the Court has appointed attorneys Maureen Brady of McShane & Brady, LLC; J. Gerard Stranch, IV of Stranch, Jennings & Garvey, PLLC; Raina Borrelli of Strauss Borrelli PLLC, and David Lietz from Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC, to represent you and other 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 $600,000.00 as reasonable attorneys' fees and costs of litigation. This amount will be paid by Sunflower.
Class Counsel will also ask for Service Award payments of $1,300.00 for each of the Class Representatives. Service Award payments will also be paid by Sunflower.
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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 a Request for Exclusion and is sometimes also called “opting out.” If you opt out, you will not receive Settlement benefits or payment. However, you will keep any rights you may have to sue Sunflower on your own about the legal issues in this case.
If you exclude yourself, 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 exclude yourself.
The deadline to exclude yourself from the Settlement is January 26, 2026.
To be valid, your Request for Exclusion must have the following information:
the name of the Litigation: S.W., et al. v. Sunflower Medical Group, P.A., Case No. 2516-CV22364, pending in the Circuit Court for Jackson County, Missouri;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
personal signature; and
the words “Request for Exclusion” 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 Request for Exclusion to the Settlement Administrator at:
Sunflower Data Breach Settlement
ATTN: Exclusion Request
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
Your Request for Exclusion must be postmarked by January 26, 2026.
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If you are a 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 excluded yourself from the Settlement (see FAQ 15).
You must provide the following information for the Court to consider your objection:
the name of the Litigation: S.W., et al. v. Sunflower Medical Group, P.A., Case No. 2516-CV22364, pending in the Circuit Court for Jackson County, Missouri;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
a clear description of all the reasons you object; include any legal support, such as documents, you may have for your objection;
if you have hired your own lawyer to represent you at the Final Approval Hearing, provide their name and telephone number;
if you or your lawyer have objected in any other cases in the past five years, list the names, courts, the orders ruling on your objections, and civil action numbers for each of those cases;
whether or not you or your lawyer would like to speak at the Final Approval Hearing;
if you plan on calling witnesses or submitting documents at the Final Approval Hearing, provide a full list of both;
your signature (if you have hired your own lawyer, their signature is not sufficient);
For your objection to be valid, 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 January 26, 2026. You must also send a copy of the objection to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and counsel for Defendants.
Clerk of the Court | Settlement Administrator |
Jackson County, Missouri Circuit Court | Sunflower Data Breach Settlement |
Class Counsel | Counsel for Defendants |
Raina Borrelli | Mark A. Olthoff |
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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 exclude yourself from the Settlement. Excluding yourself from the Settlement is opting out and 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 on March 6, 2026, at 1:30 a.m. Central Time, Division 5 of the Jackson County, Missouri Circuit Court, at 308 W. Kansas, Independence, MO 64050.
At the final approval hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. The court will also decide how Class Counsel should be paid, and whether to award Service Award payments to the Class Representatives. The Court will also consider any objections to the Settlement.
If you are a Class Member, you or your lawyer may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost (see FAQ 16).
The date and time of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check this Settlement 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 FAQ 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:
Sunflower Data Breach Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
(833) 417-4945
info@SunflowerSettlement.com
You can obtain copies of publicly filed documents by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court.
Do not contact the Court or Clerk of Court regarding this Settlement.
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