Willis-Knighton Medical Center agreed to resolve the Jacqueline Horton, et al. v. Willis-Knighton Medical Center class action lawsuit, which resulted from putting tracking codes on this Louisiana health system’s public-facing website.
Willis-Knighton Medical Center faced several lawsuits, which alleged that the health system allowed unauthorized sending of personally identifiable, personal information to third parties like Google and Facebook. The lawsuits were consolidated into one and registered in the 10th Judicial District Court for Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana.
Tracking tools, including pixels, are commonly employed online by many entities, including healthcare providers. The problem is that using these tools permits the collection of sensitive data from website visitors, including data considered as protected health information (PHI), which is a HIPAA violation. That data may be sent to third parties not allowed to have the information. One study showed that more than 99% of hospitals installed these tools on their webpages.
Willis-Knighton Medical Center does not accept the allegation and particularly denies that any medical details from its webpage or patient site were disclosed to Google or Facebook. Nevertheless, to avoid the cost and trouble of ongoing litigation and the unclear outcome of a trial, the medical center decided to settle the lawsuit.
According to the terms of the settlement, class members are eligible for a one-year privacy protection membership in CyEx Privacy Shield Pro and may also claim a cash payment. The exact amount of cash payments differs according to the subclass. Individuals who utilized the “request an appointment” function may get a $25 cash payment, members of the InteliChart settlement class could claim a $38 cash payment, and the Medtech settlement class members may get a $15 cash payment.
Willis-Knighton Medical Center has also decided not to use the digital analytics tools on its website and patient site for two years from the date of the settlement’s final approval. The list includes Google Ads, Google DoubleClick, TikTok, Meta, Amazon, The Trade Desk, and Pinterest.
The last day to object to and be exempt from the settlement is November 18, 2025. Individuals can file their claims on or before December 18, 2025. The schedule of the final approval hearing is January 22, 2026.
Image credits: Harsha, AdobeStock
