LifeLabs customers can now apply for up to $150 in compensation for data breach

Canadian residents whose personal data was compromised in a 2019 LifeLabs data breach can now apply for up to $150 in compensation from a multi-million dollar class action settlement approved in October. 

The private medical diagnostics company and its subsidiaries were the target of a cyberattack on Dec. 17, 2019, that compromised patient data for around 15 million customers, mostly in British Columbia and Ontario.

Hackers accessed personal information, including health numbers and test results, according to the claim.

LifeLabs has denied claims of negligence brought in the class action lawsuit. The company will now pay at least $4.9 million in the negotiated settlement — and up to $9.8 million — depending on the number of claims made.

Anyone who was a LifeLabs customer on or before Dec. 17, 2019 and who lives in Canada as of Oct. 25, 2023 can now file a claim online through the class action's website. 

Applicants will be asked for their full name, address, personal health number, phone number and an email address that can receive Interac e-transfers. 

Claimants will be eligible for $50 to $150 in compensation, "from which will be deducted court-approved legal fees, disbursements and taxes," according to a statement from class administrator KPMG.

All claims must be received electronically before 5 p.m. PST on April 6, 2024. Payments will be made after that deadline, once claims have been certified, says the settlement website. 

In 2020, a joint investigation by B.C. and Ontario's privacy watchdogs found LifeLabs had "failed to protect customers' personal information" in the 2019 breach.