PANERA Bread customers only have until November 11 to claim a cash payment of $6,500 from a massive $2.5 settlement pot.
The iconic bakery and café chain has been accused of not doing enough to prevent valuable customer information from being leaked.
Panera Bread customers only have until November 11 to claim a cash payment of $6,500 from a massive $2.5 settlement pot[/caption]
Panera Bread has been accused of failing to protect consumer data in a leak incident that occurred on March 23, 2024.
Plaintiffs argued that Panera Bread did not do enough to stop the leak from happening.
This breach compromised information such as Social Security numbers, according to the filing.
Despite not admitting to any wrongdoing, Panera Bread has agreed to pay out $2.5 million to settle the claims against it.
The settlement benefits those who received a notification from Panera Bread telling them that their personal information may have been compromised in the incident.
HOW MUCH WILL YOU BE PAID?
Under the terms of the settlement, those affected are eligible for financial compensation.
Class members can receive up to $500 for ordinary financial losses incurred as a result of lost information.
Ordinary out-of-pocket losses include things like credit monitoring expenses and credit report fees.
Those who experienced extraordinary losses can claim up to $6,500, which covers expenses for identity theft damages, fraudulent tax returns and other fraudulent charges.
This subclass is also able to receive a payment for every hour of time lost investigating these costs.
Class members can be reimbursed for up to 10 hours of lost time, at a rate of $25 per hour, or $2,500 overall.
Note that this is not an extra payment, it comes as part of the total you will receive, meaning $6,500 is still the maximum you can get.
Those in California can also receive an additional $100 statutory payment.
Statutory payments are legally mandated, and must be paid out by employers in cases like maternity or paternity leave or sick pay.
What’s a class-action settlement?
Class action lawsuits offer groups of people, or ‘classes,’ a way to band together in court.
These suits are often brought by one or a few people who allege a company or other entity has wronged a large group of people.
When a suit becomes a class action, it extends to all “class members,” or people who may have similar complaints to those who filed the suit.
Companies often settle class actions – offering payment to class members who typically waive their right to pursue further legal action by accepting money.
These payout agreements frequently include statements by the defendant denying wrongdoing. Companies tend to settle class actions to avoid the costs of further litigation.
Pollution, discrimination, or false advertising are a few examples of what can land a class action on a company’s doorstep.
Any funds remaining from this settlement will be distributed in residual cash payments of up to $250.
These payments will be paid out on a pro rata basis, meaning an equal proportion split among all of the claimants.
The more claimants there are, the less this residual payment will be, as the money needs to be split evenly between more people.
DATES YOU NEED TO KNOW
When submitting a claim, you need to do this along with proof you suffered financial losses as a result of the settlement.
This includes documents like bank statements, credit card statements and receipts.
If you do not submit a claim form by the deadline of November 11, you will not be considered for any form of reimbursement.
Also, if you knowingly submit a fraudulent claim, you are harming those who are eligible for compensation.
The final hearing for the Panera Bread settlement is set for January 29, 2026.
You can submit a claim form by clicking the link.
Panera Bread has been accused of failing to protect consumer data in a leak incident that occurred on March 23, 2024[/caption]
