CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Several WCNC Charlotte viewers said they've received emails recently telling them they could be part of a class-action lawsuit against Novant Health.
The first question these viewers have is if it's legit or a scam. As it turns out, the class-action lawsuit is real and anyone who's been a Novant patient could be entitled to some of the settlement.
THE QUESTION
Roger and Maedee both contacted Verify saying:
"I received an email telling me I could be part of a class-action suit against Novant Health. Is this legit?
THE ANSWER
Yes, there is a class-action lawsuit against Novant Health. If you were impacted, you could be entitled to receive some of the settlement money.
OUR SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND
According to court records, there was a class-action lawsuit against Novant and a settlement was reached. The plaintiffs say Novant allowed Facebook access to its patients' chart data without the patients' permission between May 1, 2020, and Aug. 12, 2022. That information could include the patients' contact information, appointment dates, IP addresses and menu selections.
Mauney, who isn't associated with this lawsuit, says when cases like this affect many people, there are laws that allow a class-action lawsuit.
"A series of state and federal laws allow you to sue when there has been a leak of that certain type of information," Mauney said.
Under the settlement, patients have until May 6 to submit a claim. You can see a part of it here.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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