Judge Approves $177 Million AT&T Data Breach Settlement

Senior U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater of the Northern District of Texas granted final approval on October 2, 2026, for a $177 million class-action settlement involving AT&T Mobility. The agreement resolves litigation stemming from two 2024 data breaches: a March 30 incident that exposed Social Security numbers and personal data, and a July 12 incident where call and text log metadata was illegally downloaded from a third-party cloud platform hosted by Snowflake Inc.

The breaches affected approximately 7.6 million active customers and 65.4 million former customers. The settlement fund is divided, with $149 million allocated to the first incident and $28 million to the second. AT&T denied all liability and wrongdoing as part of the agreement.

Eligible claimants who filed by the late 2025 deadlines may receive up to $7,500 in combined reimbursements for documented losses—up to $5,000 for the March breach and $2,500 for the July breach. Those without documented losses are eligible for tiered pro rata cash payments ranging from approximately $6.50 to $40.00.

Kroll Settlement Administration has processed nearly 4.9 million claims, though roughly 804,000 require physical identity verification due to potential fraud. If no appeals are filed by November 2, payments are expected to be distributed electronically or by check within 60 days of the effective date, which is estimated for November 12.