Data Breaches
Merchant of Tennis (US Merchants) $685K Data Breach Settlement — Est. $45 or $15
Last updated from the official settlement website (usmsettlement.com). Re-checked .
US Merchants employees and truck drivers hit by the Feb. 2024 cyberattack can get est. $45 (CA) or $15, monitoring and up to $2,000. Claim by Jan. 27, 2027.
Who qualifies and how to claim
What you could get
- About$45An estimated $45 for people who lived in California in February 2024 and an estimated $15 for people in other states.
- Up to$2,000Reimbursement of up to $2,000 for out-of-pocket losses from the incident, incurred between February 1, 2024 and January 27, 2027, such as identity theft or fraud losses, credit…
Pulled from the write-up below. The official settlement website and the court's documents have the final word.
Data Breach · Claims Open
Current Status
Claims are open. The Los Angeles County Superior Court granted preliminary approval on September 14, 2026, and notices began going out October 29, 2026. Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by January 27, 2027. The final approval hearing is set for March 30, 2027, and no payments will be made until the court approves the settlement. Most class members receive the cash payment automatically; third-party truck drivers, and anyone who wants identity monitoring or reimbursement of losses, need to file a claim.
Read the full details
What Changed Recently?
The settlement resolves Victor Estrada v. The Merchant of Tennis, Inc. et al., Case No. 24STCV09656, in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. The lawsuit was filed in April 2024 after The Merchant of Tennis, which does business as US Merchants, disclosed that an unauthorized third party gained access to its network on or around February 13, 2024 and took certain files. Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl granted preliminary approval on September 14, 2026, and the administrator, Simpluris, began mailing notices on October 29.
The Merchant of Tennis denies that it did anything wrong, and the court has not decided who is right. The settlement is a compromise of disputed claims, not an admission of liability.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is everyone whose information was affected by the February 2024 cybersecurity incident at The Merchant of Tennis. According to the settlement agreement, that is about 20,299 people, mostly current and former employees and third-party truck drivers. About 11,043 of them are “Non-Employees”: people employed by other companies who provided trucking or delivery services for The Merchant of Tennis at or before the time of the incident. About 7,583 were California residents at the time.
US Merchants, based in Beverly Hills, makes packaging, display and molded storage crates, according to the complaint. Despite the name, this is not a settlement for tennis shoppers. The files involved may have contained names, addresses, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers; the company’s 2024 notice letter to the California Attorney General also listed passport and alien registration numbers and health information. The company itself and its officers, the judge and staff, anyone who opts out, and anyone responsible for the attack are excluded.
How Much Can You Get?
The Merchant of Tennis is paying $685,000 into a settlement fund. Class counsel are asking for a third of it, $228,333.33, in fees, plus up to $20,000 in costs; administration is estimated at about $53,972, and a $2,500 service award is requested. What is left pays these benefits:
- Cash payment. An estimated $45 for people who lived in California in February 2024 and an estimated $15 for people in other states. The California amount is always three times the other amount, and both rise or fall depending on how much is paid for losses and monitoring.
- Documented losses. Reimbursement of up to $2,000 for out-of-pocket losses from the incident, incurred between February 1, 2024 and January 27, 2027, such as identity theft or fraud losses, credit report or credit freeze fees, ID replacement, and postage.
- Identity monitoring. Two years of CyEx Identity Defense, which the notice says includes $1 million in financial fraud insurance. Activation codes are sent after the settlement becomes final.
Money left from uncashed checks goes to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, not back to the company.
Documents & history
The public record, word for word. Every line below is what the court or the settlement administrator published; we only add short notes on what each item means. The original document has the final word, and it is always one click away.
The story so far
Claims are open until Jan 27, 2027, 87 days left. The final approval hearing is on Mar 30, 2027.
- Latest
- Preliminary approval Granted Sep 14, 2026 · 7 weeks ago
- Next
- Opt-out deadline Dec 28, 2026 · in 8 weeks
Below is every step on record. The key moments come first; tap one to read about it, or pick a filter to see more. Read the graph left to right: each line is one place where things happen, the 0 court cases and the settlement’s website, and the big labelled marks are the moments that matter. Tap one to read about it. Puzzled by a word? See court words, in plain English.
- A decision by the judge
- A date to know
- Money paid out
- A request to the judge
- Paperwork or an update
- Still to come
- Preliminary approvalSep 14, 2026 · Settlement website
- Opt-out deadlineDec 28, 2026 · still to come
- Claim deadlineJan 27, 2027 · still to come
Coming up 3
- DeadlineDeadline coming up
Deadline to opt out or object
- DeadlineDeadline coming up
Claim deadline
- HearingCourt hearing scheduled
Final approval hearing
September 2026 1 event
- Judge’s decisionThe judge ruled on preliminary approval Granted
Preliminary approval granted
Nothing of this kind in the list.
Court filings come from the court's public docket through the free RECAP archive; official documents from the settlement administrator's own site. Other dates come from the official settlement site and the summary above. We show the record as published and do not interpret it for your case. Nothing here is legal advice.
Where this information comes from
- Official settlement websitewww.usmsettlement.com
Court words, in plain English What words like “motion” or “docket” mean. You never need them to file a claim.
- Attorneys’ fees money
What the lawyers for the group ask to be paid for bringing the case. It comes out of the settlement fund, and the judge decides the amount, often less than asked.
For example: The lawyers asked for a quarter of the fund in attorneys’ fees; the judge decides how much they get.
- Claim form what you fill in
The form you send to get your share of the settlement, online or by mail. Filing one is free.
For example: Send the claim form before the deadline, or you may not be paid.
- Class member you, probably
Anyone who fits the group the settlement covers. If you qualify, you are a class member, even if you never heard of the case before.
For example: If you bought the product during the years the notice lists, you are likely a class member.
- Class certification a decision
The judge agreeing that one case can speak for a whole group of people in the same situation.
For example: After class certification, the case went ahead for all the customers, not only the two who sued.
- Docket /DOK-it/ the court’s record
The court’s diary for a case: a numbered list of every paper filed and every step taken, in order.
For example: The judge’s order was added to the docket on May 20.
- ECF number /E-C-F/ a page number
ECF is the courts’ online filing system (Electronic Case Filing). "ECF 233" is item 233 on the case’s docket; "ECF 213-1" is the first attachment to item 213.
For example: A settlement agreement filed as ECF 251 is the 251st item on that case’s docket.
- Final approval hearing a date
Also called the fairness hearing: the day the judge listens to anyone with concerns, then decides whether the settlement is approved for good.
For example: The final approval hearing is usually the last big date before payments go out.
- Motion a request
A formal "please" to the judge: one side asks for something, like more time or approval of the deal. Nothing changes until the judge answers.
For example: The lawyers filed a motion to extend the claim deadline.
- Object /ob-JECT/ your choice
Staying in the settlement but telling the judge what you think should be better. You can still be paid.
For example: If you think the fees are too high, you can object before the deadline.
- Opt out your choice
Choosing to leave the settlement. You get nothing from it, but you keep your right to bring your own case.
For example: If you opt out, you will not get a payment from this settlement.
- Order a decision
The judge’s answer, and the part that counts. "Granted" means yes, "denied" means no, "granted in part" means yes to some of it.
For example: An order granting the motion means the judge said yes.
- Preliminary approval /pre-LIM-in-airy/ a decision
The judge’s first "this looks fair enough to move ahead". Notices go out and claims open, but it is not the final say.
For example: After preliminary approval in June, the claim form went online.
- RECAP /REE-cap/ a source
A free public library of federal court papers run by the non-profit Free Law Project. The court documents on this page link to its copies.
For example: We found the judge’s order in the RECAP archive.
- Service award money
A small thank-you payment to the people who brought the case on everyone’s behalf (the class representatives). It comes from the fund and the judge decides it.
For example: The two people who started the case each asked the judge for a service award.
- Settlement administrator a company
The company that runs the claims for the court: it sends the notices, checks the claims and mails the payments. Questions about your claim go to them.
For example: The settlement administrator mails the checks once the judge approves the deal.
- Unopposed /un-uh-POZED/ a word in requests
Both sides agree on the request, so it usually goes through smoothly.
For example: An unopposed motion to move a deadline is almost always granted.