Bartholomew County Public Hospital doing business as Columbus Regional Health has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that confidential patient information was disclosed to third-party tracking technologies through its website without patient consent. Columbus Regional Health denies the allegations and states that it agreed to resolve the litigation to avoid the expense, burden, and uncertainty of continued legal proceedings.
Allegations in the Lawsuit
Health system Columbus Regional Health, a HIPAA-covered entity in Columbus, Indiana faced lawsuits that alleged the collection and transmission of patient information to Meta through the Meta Pixel and other website tracking technologies without the knowledge or permission of website users.
The first lawsuit, Brian Elkins and Annie Elkins v. Bartholomew County Public Hospital d/b/a Columbus Regional Health, was filed in May 2023 in Marion County Superior Court. Three additional plaintiffs later joined the litigation after filing similar complaints, and the actions were consolidated.
The consolidated complaint asserted claims for breach of implied contract, negligence, negligence per se, breach of fiduciary duty, invasion of privacy based on public disclosure of private facts, invasion of privacy based on intrusion upon seclusion, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.
Columbus Regional Health denies all claims asserted by the plaintiffs and maintains that it did not engage in wrongdoing or incur liability.
Settlement Benefits
Individuals who qualify as Settlement Class Members may submit a claim for a one-time cash payment of $25.50.
Settlement Class Members are also eligible to enroll in one year of CyEx Privacy Shield Pro. Enrollment requires the use of an enrollment code that was distributed by email or U.S. mail. A claim form is not required to enroll in the privacy protection service, although enrollment is required after the settlement receives final approval.
Columbus Regional Health has agreed to pay approved claims submitted by eligible Settlement Class Members. The settlement also provides for payment of settlement administration and notice costs, approved attorneys’ fees and litigation costs, and incentive awards for the class representatives, subject to court approval.
Settlement Eligibility
The settlement applies to individuals who resided in Indiana and completed registration for access to their electronic records, or who completed registration for access to their electronic records between November 1, 2017, and June 30, 2022, as described in the settlement materials.
Settlement Deadlines
The deadline to submit a claim for the cash payment is September 19, 2026.
The deadline to request exclusion from the settlement and the deadline to file objections were June 22, 2026.
The final approval hearing is scheduled for July 22, 2026.
Settlement materials state that individuals who exclude themselves from the settlement will not receive settlement benefits but will retain any rights they may have to pursue separate legal claims against the defendant relating to the allegations in the litigation.
Settlement materials also state that individuals who take no action will not receive settlement benefits and will relinquish their rights to pursue claims against the defendant that are resolved by the settlement.
