1. Why was a notice issued?
2. What is this lawsuit about?
3. What is a class action?
4. Why is there a settlement?
5. Who is included in the Settlement?
6. Are there exceptions to being included?
7. What does the Settlement provide?
8. What claims am I releasing if I stay in the Settlement Class?
9. How do I submit a claim for a Settlement benefit?
10. Are there any important Settlement payment deadlines?
11. When will the Settlement benefits be issued?
12. Do I have a lawyer in the case?
13. Should I get my own lawyer?
14. How will Class Counsel be paid?
15. How do I opt-out of the Settlement?
16. How do I tell the Court if I like or do not like the Settlement?
17. What is the difference between objecting and excluding?
18. When is the Court’s Final Approval Hearing?
19. Do I have to come to the Final Approval Hearing?
20. What happens if I do nothing at all?
21. How do I get more information?
The Superior Court for Chatham County, Georgia, authorized a Notice. You have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit, and about all of your options, before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. The Notice explains the lawsuit, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.
The lawsuit is called In re First Chatham Bank Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, Case No. SPCV25-00142-MI. It is pending in the Superior Court for Chatham County, Georgia. The people that filed this lawsuit are called the “Plaintiffs” (or “Class Representatives”) and the company they sued, First Chatham Bank, is called the “Defendant.”
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This lawsuit alleges that during the September 2024 targeted cyberattack on First Chatham's computer systems, certain files that contained Private Information were accessed. These files may have contained personal information such as names; addresses; dates of birth; driver’s license numbers; Social Security numbers; financial account numbers; and payment card information.
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In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals are called the “Plaintiffs” or “Class Representatives.” Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Class” or “Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Class Members, except for those who opt-out from the settlement. In this proposed Settlement, the Class Representatives are Ricky Robertson; Lucas Orr; Michael Blanski; and Lisa Fort. Everyone included in this Action are the Settlement Class Members.
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The Court did not decide whether the Plaintiffs or the Defendant are right. Both sides have agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and to allow the Settlement Class Members to receive benefits from the Settlement. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Settlement Class Members.
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The court has defined the Settlement Class this way: “All living individuals residing in the United States who were sent a notice by Defendant that their Private Information was impacted in the Data Incident.”
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Yes. Excluded from the Class are: (1) Defendant, any entity in which Defendant has a controlling interest, and Defendant’s senior executive management, successors, subsidiaries, and assigns; (2) governmental entities; and (3) the Judge assigned to the Action, that Judge’s immediate family, and Court staff.
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First Chatham Bank will establish a Settlement Fund of $475,000.00. The Settlement Fund will first be used to pay court-approved attorneys’ fees and costs, a Service Award payment for the Class Representatives, and the costs of administering the Settlement. The net remaining money will be used for direct payments to Class Members.
All Settlement Class Members who file a valid claim will receive a Pro Rata Cash Payment in an estimated amount of $100.00. The actual amount may go up or down from the estimated amount, as it will be calculated by dividing the net money from the Settlement Fund by the number of Class Members who submit a Valid Claim. The timing of the pro rata adjustment calculation will be made immediately after the processing of all claims, and the Settlement Administrator will issue payments based upon such pro rata adjustment calculations as soon as practicable.
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If you stay in the Settlement Class, you won’t be able to be part of any other lawsuit against First Chatham about the issues that this Settlement covers. The “Releases” section of the Settlement Agreement (Section XIII) describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Settlement Class. The Settlement Agreement is available here.
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The fastest way to submit your Claim Form is online here. If you prefer, you can download a printable Claim Form here and mail it to the Settlement Administrator at:
First Chatham Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
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If you are submitting a Claim Form online, you must do so by June 3, 2026. If you are submitting a claim by U.S. mail, the completed and signed Claim Form must be postmarked no later than June 3, 2026.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on June 18, 2026 (see FAQ 18). If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. We do not know if appeals will be filed, or how long it will take to resolve them if they are filed.
Settlement payments will be distributed if the Court grants final approval, and after any appeals are resolved. Please be patient.
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Yes, the Court has appointed attorneys MaryBeth V. Gibson of Gibson Consumer Law Group, LLC; Ra O. Amen of Mason LLP; Steven Sukert of Kopelowitz Ostrow P.A.; and Mark S. Reich of Levi & Korsinsky, LLP, to represent you and other Settlement Class Members (“Class Counsel”).
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You will not be charged for Class Counsel’s services. If you want your own lawyer, you may hire one at your expense.
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Class Counsel will ask the court to approve up to 35% as reasonable attorneys' fees and costs of litigation. This amount will be paid from the Settlement Fund.
Class Counsel will also ask for Service Award payments of $2,000.00 for each of the Class Representatives. Service Award payments will also be paid from the Settlement Fund.
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If you do not want to be part of the Settlement, you must formally exclude yourself from the Settlement. This is called an Opt-Out Request.
If you opt-out, you are telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. You will not be eligible to receive any Settlement benefits if you opt-out. However, you will keep any rights you may have to sue First Chatham on your own about the legal issues in this case. The deadline to exclude yourself from the Settlement is June 3, 2026.
To be valid, your Opt-Out Request must have the following information:
the name of the Litigation: In re First Chatham Bank Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, Case No. SPCV25-00142-MI, pending in the Superior Court for Chatham County, Georgia;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
personal signature; and
the words “Opt-Out Request” or a clear and similar statement that you do not want to participate in the Settlement.
You may only exclude yourself—not any other person.
Mail your Opt-Out Request to the Settlement Administrator at:
First Chatham Data Incident Settlement
ATTN: Exclusion Request
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
Your Opt-Out Request must be postmarked by June 3, 2026.
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If you are a Settlement Class Member and do not like part or all of the Settlement, you can object to it. Objecting means telling the Court your reasons for why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement. The Court will consider your views.
You cannot object if you have opted-out from the Settlement (see FAQ 15).
You must provide the following information for the Court to consider your objection:
the name of the Litigation: In re First Chatham Bank Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, Case No. SPCV25-00142-MI, pending in the Superior Court for Chatham County, Georgia;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
all grounds for the objection, accompanied by any legal support for the objection known to you or your counsel;
the number of times you have objected to a class action settlement within the 5 years preceding the date that you file the objection, the caption of each case in which you have made such objection, and a copy of any orders related to or ruling upon your prior objections that were issued by the trial and appellate courts in each listed case;
the identity of all counsel who represent you, including any former or current counsel who may be entitled to compensation for any reason related to the objection to the Settlement and/or Application for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Service Awards;
the number of times in which the your counsel and/or counsel’s law firm have objected to a class action settlement within the five years preceding the date of the filed objection, the caption of each case in which counsel or the firm has made such objection and a copy of any orders related to or ruling upon counsel’s or the counsel’s law firm’s prior objections that were issued by the trial and appellate courts in each listed case in which your counsel and/or counsel’s law firm have objected to a class action settlement within the preceding five years;
the identity of all counsel (if any) representing you, and whether they will appear at the Final Approval Hearing;
a list of all persons who will be called to testify at the Final Approval Hearing in support of the objection (if any);
a statement confirming whether you intend to personally appear and/or testify at the Final Approval Hearing; and
your signature (if you have hired your own lawyer, their signature is not sufficient).
To be considered by the Court, you must file your complete objection with the Clerk of Court by June 3, 2026. You must also send a copy of the objection by U.S. Mail to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and Defendant’s Counsel.
Clerk of the Court | Settlement Administrator | Counsel for Defendants |
Clerk of the Court | First Chatham Data Incident Settlement | Gavin Reinke |
Class Counsel | |||
MaryBeth V. Gibson | Ra O. Amen | Steven Sukert | Mark S. Reich |
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Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not opt-out from the Settlement. Opting out from the Settlement is stating to the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you opt-out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on June 18, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., in Room 473 of the Superior Court for Chatham County, Georgia, at the Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse, 400 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah, Georgia 31401.
At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. The court will also decide Class Counsel’s request for an attorneys’ fees and costs award and the request for a Service Award to the Class Representatives. The Court will also consider any timely objections to the Settlement.
If you are a Settlement Class Member, you or your lawyer may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost (see FAQ 16).
The date and time of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check this Settlement Website for updates.
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No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense if you wish, but you do not have to.
If you file an objection, you do not have to come to the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it; the Court will consider it as long as it was filed on time. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but you do not have to.
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If you do nothing, you will not receive a benefit from this Settlement. You will also give up the rights described in FAQ 8.
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This website and the Notice are a summary of the proposed Settlement. The full Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available on the Important Documents page.
You can obtain copies of publicly filed documents by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court.
Do not contact the Court or Clerk of Court regarding this Settlement.
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