In a high-stakes cybersecurity saga echoing through courtrooms and the dark web alike, AT&T Inc. on Friday secured preliminary approval from a Texas federal judge for a $177 million settlement to resolve sprawling claims over two devastating data breaches that exposed the sensitive personal information of more than 70 million current and former customers.
U.S. District Judge Ada E. Brown issued a 19-page order blessing the proposed deal, which aims to bring closure to one of the telecom industry’s most explosive digital security failures in recent memory. The court scheduled a final approval hearing for December, staying all proceedings in the meantime.
Settlement Breakdown: Two Classes, Two Breaches
The settlement carves affected consumers into two categories:
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AT&T 1 Settlement Class — $149 million allocated to those whose personal data (including Social Security numbers) surfaced on the dark web.
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AT&T 2 Settlement Class — $28 million designated for those whose call and text logs were accessed by hackers between May 2022 and early 2023.
Judge Brown called the terms “fair, reasonable and adequate,” declaring the deal to be in the public interest and in alignment with class action best practices.
