The settlement for the November 2023 data incident at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility is running through a bankruptcy court, and that changes the rules for anyone thinking about opting out. Detainees, staff and vendors whose information was taken can claim up to $5,000 in documented losses, up to $80 for lost time and 60 months of credit monitoring, with a claim deadline of February 5, 2027. Claims were not open yet when the court granted preliminary approval on October 16, 2026; the settlement website was due to launch by October 31.
Status: Preliminarily approved; claims opening | Claim deadline February 5, 2027 | Opt out or object by January 15, 2027 | Final approval hearing February 17, 2027
Why a Bankruptcy Judge Has This Case
The Wyatt Detention Facility discovered the data incident on November 2, 2023. In a statement on its website, the facility said a virus had affected its computer systems and that it had identified approximately 12,890 detainees, 7,618 current, potential and former staff, and 185 outside vendors as affected.
A proposed class action was filed in July 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island (No. 1:24-cv-00284). That case was paused when Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, which does business as the Wyatt Detention Facility, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 10, 2026. The settlement moved into the bankruptcy case, In re Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, No. 1:26-bk-10628, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island.
On October 16, 2026, Judge John A. Dorsey, Jr. preliminarily approved the settlement, certified the class for settlement purposes only, appointed Epiq as administrator and set the deadlines. In finding the deal fair on a preliminary basis, the court cited, among other factors, the debtor’s financial condition and the lack of available insurance coverage for the claims. The company denies any wrongdoing or liability, and no court has found it liable.
Who Is in the Class
The class covers all individuals in the United States whose private information was kept on the debtor’s computer systems and who were identified by the debtor as having some of it taken in the November 2023 incident. According to the class notice, the information includes some combination of names, addresses, medical information, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other identifying information.
Because the class is limited to people the debtor itself identified, the court-approved postcard notice goes directly to class members. Excluded are the debtor’s directors, anyone who validly opts out, the bankruptcy judge and the district judge on the underlying lawsuit and their staff, and anyone who gave the debtor an express release of incident-related claims before July 10, 2026.
Three Benefits on One Claim
| Documented losses | Up to $5,000 for unreimbursed fraud or identity theft losses, credit freeze costs, and expenses such as notary, fax, postage, copying, mileage and long-distance phone charges. |
| Lost time | Up to four hours at $20 an hour, a maximum of $80, for things like changing passwords, checking accounts, contacting a bank or signing up for monitoring. |
| Credit monitoring | 60 months of single-bureau monitoring. Enrollment instructions and an activation code arrive after the settlement becomes final. |
All three can be claimed together. Expenses already reimbursed by another source are not covered.
A Small Fund With the Lawyers Paid Outside It
The cash benefits share a $100,000 settlement fund, which also pays the $2,000 service award requested for the class representative. If approved loss and time claims add up to more than the fund can cover, cash payments are reduced pro rata. No per-person estimate has been published.
The credit monitoring and the $90,000 in attorneys’ fees and expenses class counsel plans to request are paid separately and do not come out of the fund. The cash amount each person receives depends on how many valid claims are filed, so the $5,000 and $80 figures are maximums, not promises.
Proof and the Postcard
The postcard notice includes a tear-off claim form printed with a unique identifier. That tear-off covers only lost time and credit monitoring; documented losses must be claimed online or on a full claim form requested from the administrator. The online form had not been published when the order was entered, so whether it can be completed without the identifier is not yet known.
Lost time needs no receipts: you check one to four hours and sign an attestation. Documented losses need reasonable records such as receipts, bank or credit card statements, invoices, phone records or correspondence. A personal certification, declaration or affidavit on its own does not count, and the form asks you to redact unrelated expenses and account details.
Opting Out Has an Extra Step Here
In most breach settlements, opting out simply preserves your right to sue. Here it takes more. Exclusion requests must be mailed, signed and postmarked by January 15, 2027; they cannot be made by phone or email. After that, the administrator notifies each person who opted out, and they have 30 days to file an Opt-Out Proof of Claim in the bankruptcy case. Missing that deadline bars any incident-related claim against the debtor.
Class members who stay in do not need to file a general bankruptcy proof of claim for the data incident; class counsel files a single class proof of claim for everyone.
Dates
| December 31, 2026 | Publication notices and press release to be substantially complete. |
| January 15, 2027 | Opt-out and objection deadline. |
| January 18, 2027 | Class counsel’s fee and service award application due. |
| February 5, 2027 | Claims due online or postmarked. No time of day or time zone is specified. |
| February 17, 2027, 2:00 p.m. ET | Final approval hearing before Judge Dorsey. |
The parties can adjust these dates by agreement without a new order, but the notice period and the opt-out, objection and claim deadlines cannot be shortened.
How to File
Claims will be filed through the official settlement website once Epiq launches it, or by mailing a paper claim form to the administrator. No official website address had been published when this was written, so use the postcard notice you receive for the address and instructions. The approved claim form offers payment by check, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or direct deposit.
Benefits are paid only after final approval. The order also ties the settlement to the debtor’s chapter 11 plan: the class proof of claim is finally allowed upon final approval and the confirmation and effectiveness of the plan, and the releases take effect on the plan’s effective date. No payment date has been announced. OpenClassActions.com will add the website link to its Wyatt Detention Facility settlement page once it is live.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a bankruptcy court handling this settlement?
Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, which does business as the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 10, 2026. That paused the class action in federal district court, so the settlement went to the bankruptcy court, where Judge John A. Dorsey, Jr. granted preliminary approval on October 16, 2026.
Do I need to file a proof of claim in the bankruptcy?
Not for the data incident if you stay in the settlement. Class counsel files one class proof of claim for everyone. Claims unrelated to the data incident are governed by the bankruptcy case’s general bar date of October 16, 2026.
Are the lawyers paid from the $100,000 fund?
No. Class counsel plans to request $90,000 in fees and expenses, paid separately. Credit monitoring is also paid outside the fund. The $2,000 service award requested for the class representative does come out of the fund.
What happens if I opt out?
You receive no benefits. The administrator then sends you a notice, and you have 30 days to file an Opt-Out Proof of Claim in the bankruptcy case. If you miss it, you are barred from asserting incident-related claims against the debtor.
Can I claim lost time without receipts?
Yes. You select one to four hours and sign an attestation, for up to $80. Documented losses up to $5,000 require records such as receipts or statements.
Sources
- Order granting preliminary approval of the data security incident settlement, with the approved notices and claim form (Dkt. 235, October 16, 2026).
- In re Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, No. 1:26-bk-10628 (Bankr. D.R.I.) — docket.
- Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility statement on the November 2023 data security incident.
- OpenClassActions.com — Wyatt Detention Facility 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: Wyatt Detention Facility 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.