The USC Arcadia Hospital pixel settlement has an unusually small class — about 582 people — which is why each cash share could be far larger than the few dollars most website-tracking settlements pay. If every class member filed, each would get roughly $178 from the $200,000 fund, and fewer claims mean bigger shares. The class is limited to people who filled in a form on the hospital’s website to sign up for email or event updates between February 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023. Claims are due December 7, 2026.
Status: Preliminarily approved September 8, 2026; claims open | Claim deadline December 7, 2026 | Equal share of $200,000, plus a year of CyEx Privacy Shield Pro | Final approval hearing December 14, 2026
What the Lawsuit Claims
The case is Merle v. USC Arcadia Hospital, Case No. 23STCV01900, filed on January 30, 2023 in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles. It claims the hospital installed the Meta Pixel and other tracking tools on its website and, through them, shared website users’ private information with Meta and other third parties.
The settlement releases claims under California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (Civil Code § 56) and the California Invasion of Privacy Act (Penal Code §§ 631 and 637), among others. USC Arcadia Hospital denies the claims and all wrongdoing and liability, including that it violated HIPAA or any similar privacy statute, and says it believes it complied with them. The settlement is a compromise; the court has not decided who is right.
The court granted preliminary approval on September 8, 2026, appointing Simpluris as administrator and setting December 7, 2026 as the deadline to file a claim, opt out or object. Class counsel are Coulson P.C. and Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Team LLP.
A Narrow Class
This is not a settlement for every visitor to the hospital’s website. The class is any person who completed a form on USC Arcadia Hospital’s website to sign up for email or event updates from February 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023. The settlement agreement defines the website to include uscarcadiahospital.org, methodisthospital.org and other websites or patient portals the hospital used or controlled during that period.
The class list came from the hospital’s own records, and according to the settlement website, people who received a notice are identified in those records as class members. Notice was sent by email.
Excluded are the presiding judges and their families; USC Arcadia Hospital, its subsidiaries, parent companies, successors and predecessors, entities it or its parents control, and its current or former officers and directors; anyone who validly opts out; and the successors or assigns of excluded people.
The Math Behind the $178 Estimate
The $200,000 fund pays these amounts first, if the court approves them:
| Attorneys’ fees requested | $61,335.92 |
| Expenses requested | $15,992.25 |
| Service award to the named plaintiff | $1,500 |
| Administration | $17,766, including $2,470 to provide CyEx codes to the whole class |
| Left for approved claims | About $103,406 |
That remainder is split equally among everyone with an approved claim. If all of the estimated 582 class members filed, each share would be about $178. Claim rates in settlements like this are rarely that high, so actual shares are likely to be larger — but the figure is an estimate, and the court may approve different fee or cost amounts.
None of the fund returns to the hospital. If money remains 180 days after payments go out, a second equal payment goes to claimants who cashed their first one, as long as it would be at least $5. Anything left after that goes to the Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health, subject to court approval.
The Privacy Service Comes Without a Claim
Every class member who does not opt out receives a one-year subscription to CyEx Privacy Shield Pro. The settlement agreement says it includes a VPN, data broker opt-out, dark web monitoring and a password manager. The activation code is in the notice, and no claim form is needed for it. The settlement website anticipates the codes becoming active on December 15, 2026, once the settlement is final, and says enrollment closes March 15, 2027. The CyEx enrollment instructions page explains how to activate it.
LoginID and PIN, or the Paper Form
No receipts, medical records or other documents are needed. Filing online, though, requires the LoginID and PIN printed on the emailed notice; the claim page states they are required to start the online form, and a login attempt without them is rejected.
There are two ways around a lost notice. You can ask the administrator for your LoginID and PIN by giving your full name and mailing address, as the settlement website’s contact page explains. Or you can use the printable claim form, which asks only for a name, address, email address, phone number and signature, with no LoginID field. The administrator may ask for more information, and the settlement agreement says it will make reasonable efforts to confirm that a claim filed without a class member identifier is valid.
Filing Your Claim
File on the USC Arcadia Hospital settlement claim page. The online form starts with the LoginID and PIN, then asks for contact details and a payment choice: check, PayPal or Venmo for online claims. Paper checks must be cashed within 180 days. Online claims must be submitted, and mailed forms postmarked, by December 7, 2026; the settlement sources give no time of day or time zone.
Opting Out or Objecting
December 7, 2026 is also the deadline to opt out or object. Opt-out requests must be mailed and postmarked by that date. Objections can be mailed under the same postmark deadline or presented in person at the final approval hearing, and the notice lists what each must contain. Opting out means giving up both the cash and the CyEx service.
Approval and Payment
Judge Theresa M. Traber will hold the final approval hearing at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, December 14, 2026, in Department 1 of the Spring Street Courthouse in Los Angeles. The date may change, with updates posted on the settlement website. The fee, expense and service-award requests are decided separately from the settlement itself.
Payments go out only if the court grants final approval and the settlement becomes effective after the time for appeals runs out. The settlement agreement calls for payments within 35 days after that effective date. As of October 24, 2026 no payment date had been announced. The USC Arcadia Hospital settlement page on OpenClassActions.com will reflect the court’s ruling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the USC Arcadia Hospital pixel settlement cover every website visitor?
No. It covers only people who completed a form on the hospital’s website to sign up for email or event updates between February 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023, an estimated 582 people.
How much will each claimant receive?
About $103,406 would remain after requested fees, expenses, the service award and administration. If all 582 class members filed, each share would be about $178. With fewer claims, each share is larger.
Do I need to file to get CyEx Privacy Shield Pro?
No. Every class member who does not opt out gets the one-year activation code in the notice. Enrollment is expected to open when codes activate, anticipated December 15, 2026, and closes March 15, 2027.
I lost the email with my LoginID and PIN. What now?
Ask the administrator for them by giving your full name and mailing address, as the settlement website’s contact page explains, or use the printable claim form, which does not ask for a LoginID.
What is the deadline?
December 7, 2026 for claims, opt-outs and objections. Online claims must be submitted and mailed forms postmarked by that date.
Did USC Arcadia Hospital admit wrongdoing?
No. It denies the claims and all wrongdoing and liability, including any HIPAA violation. The court has not decided which side is right.
Sources
- USC Arcadia Hospital Settlement — official settlement website, including the FAQ, important dates, claim page and CyEx enrollment instructions.
- Class Action Notice, authorized by the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles.
- Class Action Settlement Agreement.
- Order Granting Preliminary Approval of Settlement, Merle v. USC Arcadia Hospital, Case No. 23STCV01900.
- Printable Claim Form.
- OpenClassActions.com — USC Arcadia Hospital $200,000 Pixel Tracking Settlement.
Source and credit: the settlement terms, deadlines and benefit details described above are drawn from our sister site’s reporting — OpenClassActions.com: USC Arcadia Hospital $200,000 Pixel Tracking 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.