The $100 in the Chimienti & Associates data breach settlement is the last thing the fund pays, not the first. Credit monitoring is covered before anything else, documented-loss claims come next, and the no-receipt cash payment is whatever share of the $650,000 is left — so it can land above or below $100. Class members have until December 28, 2026 to file, and the online form opens only with the LoginID and PIN printed on the mailed notice.
Status: Claims open, preliminary approval granted June 4, 2026 | Claim deadline December 28, 2026 (online or postmarked) | Opt out or object by December 14, 2026 | Final approval hearing January 12, 2027
What Happened at Chimienti & Associates
Chimienti & Associates is a managing general agency that sells employer-paid benefit solutions. According to the settlement agreement, an unauthorized actor viewed or copied data from one of its internal email accounts between March 22 and March 26, 2024. The company began sending notification letters on October 24, 2024.
The data in that mailbox varied by person, but it may have included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, state-issued identification numbers, financial account information and health information. Four lawsuits were filed in Tulare County Superior Court in late 2024 and early 2025 and were combined into one case, Fonseca et al. v. Chimienti & Associates, Consolidated Case No. VCU315048.
The consolidated complaint alleged negligence, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and violations of California privacy and consumer protection laws. Chimienti denies doing anything wrong. The court has not decided the merits; Judge Bret D. Hillman granted preliminary approval of the proposed settlement on June 4, 2026, and notices went out by mail on July 2, 2026.
Who Is in the Class
The class covers all living individuals residing in the United States whose private information was impacted in the data incident. Chimienti’s directors, officers and employees are excluded, as are the assigned judge, court staff and anyone who opts out.
Class members were identified from Chimienti’s own records and mailed notices. The settlement documents do not say how many people are in the class, which matters for the cash estimate: the more people who file for the no-receipt payment, the smaller each share becomes.
The Benefits, in the Order the Fund Pays Them
| 1. Credit monitoring | Two years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete one-bureau credit monitoring with $1 million in fraud insurance. Every class member can claim it alongside a cash option. |
| 2. Cash Payment A — documented losses | Reimbursement of up to $5,000 for out-of-pocket losses fairly traceable to the breach, incurred from March 22, 2024 through December 28, 2026. |
| 3. Cash Payment B — alternative cash | A one-time pro rata payment of up to $100. No documents needed. The amount is adjusted up or down based on what remains after the first two benefits. |
A class member picks one cash option, A or B, and can add the monitoring to either. Payment A covers costs such as identity theft losses, fees for credit reports, monitoring or credit freezes, and the cost of replacing identification. It requires receipts or other third-party records — a self-prepared statement on its own does not count. If a Payment A claim is rejected, it is converted to a Payment B claim rather than thrown out.
There is no separate payment for lost time and no California statutory payment in this settlement, which sets it apart from many breach cases that add one or both.
Where the $650,000 Goes Before Class Members
The fund is non-reversionary, so none of it goes back to Chimienti. It also pays notice and administration costs, attorneys’ fees of up to 33.33% of the fund ($216,666.66) plus costs, and service awards of $2,500 for each class representative, if the court approves those requests.
Chimienti also says it has made data security improvements costing more than $75,000 a year. That spending is paid separately and does not come out of the fund. Any money left after payments goes to the Electronic Privacy Information Center rather than back to the company.
The LoginID and PIN
The online claim form will not open without the LoginID and PIN printed on the notice mailed to class members. The paper claim form is more forgiving: it has a field for the Login ID “if known,” so a class member who has lost the notice can still print the form, complete it and mail it with a postmark on or before the deadline.
Payment B needs nothing beyond the claim itself. Payment A needs the documentation described above, so gather bank or card statements, invoices and receipts before starting a loss claim.
Dates to Know
| December 14, 2026 | Exclusion requests must be postmarked, and objections filed with the court, by this date. |
| December 28, 2026 | Claim deadline, submitted online or postmarked. |
| January 12, 2027, 8:30 a.m. Pacific | Final approval hearing in Department 02 of the Tulare County Superior Court. |
Benefits are distributed no later than 45 days after the settlement becomes final, which happens only after final approval and the end of any appeals. Payment options listed for the settlement are PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, a virtual prepaid card or a check.
How to File
The official settlement website, ChimientiDataSettlement.com, is run by the court-appointed administrator, Simpluris. It hosts the online claim form, the notice, the paper claim form, the settlement agreement and the preliminary approval order, in English and Spanish. Filing a claim in the Chimienti data breach settlement is free. Our sister site tracks the case on its Chimienti & Associates data breach settlement page and updates it as the court acts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Chimienti cash payment exactly $100?
No. Cash Payment B is a pro rata payment of up to $100. It is paid after credit monitoring and documented-loss claims, and the amount is adjusted up or down from what remains in the $650,000 fund.
Can I claim both the $100 and the $5,000 documented-loss payment?
No. Each class member chooses Cash Payment A for documented losses or Cash Payment B for alternative cash. The two years of credit monitoring can be added to either choice.
What if my documented-loss claim is rejected?
Under the settlement, a rejected Payment A claim is converted to a Payment B claim, so you would receive the pro rata alternative cash payment instead.
I lost my notice. Can I still file?
The online form requires the LoginID and PIN from the notice. The paper claim form asks for the Login ID only if known, so you can print it from the settlement website and mail it, postmarked by December 28, 2026.
Is there a payment for lost time?
No. The settlement has no lost-time payment and no California statutory payment. The cash options are documented losses up to $5,000 or alternative cash up to $100.
When will payments go out?
Benefits are distributed no later than 45 days after the settlement becomes final, which follows the January 12, 2027 final approval hearing and the end of any appeals.
Sources
- Official settlement website, FAQ, important dates, long-form notice and claim form — ChimientiDataSettlement.com, administered by Simpluris.
- Settlement agreement and order granting preliminary approval (June 4, 2026), Fonseca et al. v. Chimienti & Associates, Consolidated Case No. VCU315048, Superior Court of California, County of Tulare.
- Chimienti & Associates notice of data event filed with the California Attorney General.
- OpenClassActions.com — Chimienti & Associates $650,000 Data Breach Settlement.
Source and credit: the settlement terms, deadlines and benefit details described above are drawn from our sister site’s reporting — OpenClassActions.com: Chimienti & Associates $650,000 Data Breach Settlement — which tracks this case against the court-approved notice and the official settlement website and is updated as the court rules.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. OpenClassActions.org is a consumer news site, not a law firm and not the settlement administrator, and is not affiliated with any party to the case described. The allegations are allegations; unless a court has ruled, the defendants deny wrongdoing and no court has decided the merits. Deadlines, benefit amounts and payment timing can change as the court and the administrator act, so confirm current status on the official settlement website. You never need to pay anyone to file a claim or to receive a settlement payment.