Frequently Asked Questions

A federal Court authorized the Notice because you have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit and about all of your options before the Court decides whether to grant Final Approval of the Settlement. This Settlement Website explains the Action, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them. 

The Action is captioned Harris et. al. v. Lee University, Case No. 1:25-cv-107 (United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee). The people that filed this Action are called the Plaintiffs and the entity they sued, Lee University, is called the Defendant.

This Action alleges that Private Information was impacted by the Data Breach that affected Lee University on or around March 22, 2024. The following types of information were present in the affected files that were accessed and acquired by the unauthorized actor: full names, Social Security Numbers, driver’s license numbers, government-issued ID numbers (e.g., passport, state ID card), financial information (e.g., account number, credit or debit card number), and medical information. 

Defendant denies all of the Plaintiffs’ claims and maintains that it did not do anything wrong.

In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals who sue are known as “Settlement Class Representatives” or “Plaintiffs.” Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Settlement Class” or “Settlement Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Settlement Class Members, except for those who exclude themselves (sometimes called, “opting out”) from a settlement. In this Settlement, the Class Representatives are Michael Harris, Christopher Vaught, Caleb Nabors, Katelyn Butler, Brittany Kubba, and Dennis Goodine.

The Court did not decide in favor of the Plaintiffs or the Defendant. The Defendant denies all claims and contends that it has not violated any laws. Plaintiffs and the Defendant agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and through the Settlement, Settlement Class Members are eligible to claim payments and other benefits. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys, who also represent the Settlement Class Members, think the Settlement is best for all Settlement Class Members.

The Settlement Class consists of all persons whose Private Information may have been compromised in the Data Breach that was discovered on or around March 22, 2024, including those who received notice of the Data Breach from Defendant.

Yes. Excluded from the Settlement Class are (i) Lee University, its officers and directors; (ii) all Settlement Class Members who timely and validly request exclusion from the Settlement Class; (iii) any judges assigned to this case and their staff and family; and (iv) any other person found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be guilty under criminal law of initiating, causing, aiding or abetting the criminal activity occurrence of the Data Breach or who pleads nolo contendere to any such charge.

If you are not sure whether you are included in the Settlement Class, you can ask for free help by clicking here, calling, or writing to the Settlement Administrator at: 
 

Toll-Free: (833) 930-1181 
 

Harris v. Lee University 
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 5324
New York NY 10150-5324

You may also view the Settlement Agreement on the Documents page of this Settlement Website.

If approved by the Court, Defendant will establish a Settlement Fund of $1,750,000 to pay all Valid Claims submitted by the Settlement Class, together with Settlement Administration Costs, attorneys’ fees and costs, and any Service Award payment. 

If you received a notice from the Defendant concerning the Data Breach, you may submit a Claim Form. 

The Settlement will provide one (1) year of one-bureau Credit Monitoring Services to all Settlement Class Members who submit a timely and Valid Claim for Credit Monitoring Services. Even if Settlement Class Members previously accepted the Defendant’s offer of complimentary Credit Monitoring services, they may still claim this benefit. 

The Settlement will also provide Cash Payments to people who submit timely and valid Claim Forms. 

There are two types of payments that are available to Settlement Class Members: 

(1) Cash Payment A – Documented Losses which provides reimbursement of up to $5,000 in out-of-pocket losses per claimant, subject to a pro rata (proportional) adjustment depending upon the number of Valid Claims; and

(2) Cash Payment B – Cash Payment which consists of an estimated $100 payment subject to a pro rata (proportional) adjustment depending upon the number of Valid Claims.
 

Unless you opt out of the Settlement, you cannot sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Defendant about any of the legal claims this Settlement resolves. The Releases section in the Settlement Agreement describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Settlement Class. The Settlement Agreement can be found on the Documents page of this Settlement Website.

Claim Forms may be submitted online by clicking here or mailed to the Settlement Administrator at: 

Harris v. Lee University
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 5324
New York NY 10150-5324
 

A copy of the paper Claim Form is available on the Documents page of this Settlement Website. You may also contact the Settlement Administrator to request a Claim Form by clicking here, by telephone (833) 930-1181, or U.S. mail at the address above.

If you submit a Claim Form by U.S. mail, the completed and signed Claim Form must be postmarked by August 19, 2026. If submitting a Claim Form online, you must do so by 11:59 pm ET, August 19, 2026.

The short answer is – after the Settlement is “finally approved” and challenges, if any, to that approval are finally resolved. The Court is scheduled to hold a Final Approval Hearing on September 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET, to decide whether to approve the Settlement, how much attorneys’ fees and costs to award to Class Counsel for representing the Settlement Class, and whether to award Service Awards to the Class Representatives who brought this Action on behalf of the Settlement Class. 

If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. It is always uncertain whether appeals will be filed and, if so, how long it will take to resolve them. Settlement Class Member Benefits will be distributed as soon as possible, if and when the Court grants Final Approval to the Settlement and after any appeals are resolved.

Yes, the Court appointed Leanna Loginov of Shamis & Gentile, P.A., Raina Borrelli of Strauss Borrelli PLLC and J. Gerard Stranch, IV of Stranch, Jennings & Garvey, PLLC, to represent you and other members of the Settlement Class (“Class Counsel”). You will not be charged directly for these lawyers; instead, they will receive compensation from the Settlement Fund, (subject to Court approval).

If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

It is not necessary for you to hire your own lawyer because Class Counsel works for you. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel’s attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses will be paid from the Settlement Fund in an amount determined and awarded by the Court of no more than $583,333.33 in attorney’s fees and costs. Class Counsel is entitled to seek no more than one third (33-1/3%) of the Settlement Fund as reasonable attorneys’ fees, subject to Court approval. As approved by the Court, the Class Representatives will each be paid a Service Award from the Settlement Fund for bringing and settling the case. The Class Representatives will seek no more than $2,500 each as a Service Award, but the Court may award less than this amount.

If you do not want to receive any benefits from the Settlement, and you want to keep your right to separately sue the Defendant about the legal issues in this case, you must take steps to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class. This is called “Opting Out” of the Settlement Class. The Opt-Out Deadline to submit a request for exclusion from the Settlement is August 4, 2026. 

To exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must submit a written request for exclusion to the Settlement Administrator that includes the following information: 
 

• your name, address, telephone number, and email address (if any);
• a statement indicating that you want to be excluded from the Settlement Class in Harris et. al. v. Lee University, Case No. 1:25-cv-107; and
• your personal signature.
   

Your request for exclusion must be mailed to the Settlement Administrator at the address below, postmarked no later than August 4, 2026.

Harris v. Lee University 
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration
ATTN: Exclusion Request PO Box 5324
New York, NY 10150-5324
 

If you exclude yourself, you are telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. You may only exclude yourself – not any other person.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you can choose (but are not required) to object to the Settlement if you do not like it or a portion of it, whether that be to the Settlement Class Member Benefits, the request for attorneys’ fees or Service Award payments, the releases provided to the Defendant, or some other aspect of the Settlement. Through an objection, you give reasons why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement. 

For an objection to be considered by the Court, the objection must include: (a) your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if any); (b) all grounds for the objection, accompanied by any legal support for the objection known to you or your counsel (if any); (c)    the identity of all counsel (if any) who represent you, including any former or current counsel who may claim an entitlement to compensation for any reason related to your objection to the Settlement and/or Application for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Service Awards; (d) the number of times in which your counsel and/or your counsel’s law firm have objected to a Settlement within the five years preceding the date of this objection is filed, the caption of each case in which counsel or the firm has made an objection and a copy of any orders related to or ruling upon counsel’s or counsel’s law firm’s prior objections that were issued by the trial and appellate courts in each listed case in which your counsel and/or counsel’s law firm have objected to a Settlement within the preceding five years; (e) the identity of all counsel (if any) representing you, and whether they will appear at the Final Approval Hearing; (f) a list of all persons who will be called to testify at the Final Approval Hearing in support of the objection (if any); (g) a statement confirming whether you intend to personally appear and/or testify at the Final Approval Hearing; and (h) your signature (an attorney’s signature is not sufficient). 

Any Settlement Class Member who does not file a timely and adequate objection in accordance with the above paragraph waives the right to object to the Settlement at the Final Approval Hearing and shall be bound by the terms of the Settlement Agreement and by all orders and judgments in the Action.

Objections must be filed with the Court no later than August 4, 2026.

A copy of your objection also must be mailed to Class Counsel, Defendant’s Counsel, and the Settlement Administrator at the addresses below, postmarked no later than August 4, 2026.

Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement. Excluding yourself from the Settlement means telling the Court you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you exclude yourself/opt out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.

The Court is scheduled to hold a Final Approval Hearing on September 3, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET, in at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building, United States Courthouse, 900 Georgia Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402, Courtroom 3, to decide whether to approve the Settlement, how much attorneys’ fees and costs to award to Class Counsel for representing the Settlement Class, and whether to award a Service Award payments to each Class Representative who brought this Action on behalf of the Settlement Class. If you are a Settlement Class Member, you or your attorney may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost. If you do not like the Settlement, remember you may object to it, but you have to follow certain requirements (see FAQ 17). The date and time of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check this Settlement Website for updates.

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense if you wish. If you file an objection, you may, but you do not have to come to the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it. If you file your written objection on time and in accordance with the requirements listed in FAQ 17, the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but such attendance is not necessary for the Court to consider an objection that was filed on time and meets the requirements listed in FAQ 17.

If you are a Settlement Class Member and you do nothing, you will give up your right to start a lawsuit, continue a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Defendant and the Released Parties, as defined in the Settlement Agreement, about the legal issues resolved by this Settlement. In addition, you will be bound by the Releases of the Released Parties in the Settlement and not be eligible to receive a Settlement Class Member Benefit or other benefits from this Settlement.

This Settlement Website summarizes the proposed Settlement. Complete details are provided in the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available on the Documents page of this Settlement Website. 

If you have additional questions or need to update your address, you may contact the Settlement Administrator by clicking here, phone, or mail: 

Toll-Free: (833) 930-1181 
Mail: 

Harris v. Lee University
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC,
P.O. Box 5324
New York, NY 10150-5324

Publicly filed documents can also be obtained by visiting the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building, United States Courthouse or by reviewing the Court’s online docket. For those planning to visit the Court for more information, please contact the Court for its regular business hours and for any costs associated with obtaining documents maintained by the Court. 

You may also contact Class Counsel, as follows: 
 

Leanna Loginov
Shamis & Gentile, P.A.
14 NE 1st Ave, Suite 705
Miami, FL 33132
[email protected]
—and—
J. Gerard Stranch, IV
Grayson Wells
Stranch, Jennings & Garvey, PLLC
223 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203
[email protected] 
[email protected] 
 

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT OR LEE UNIVERSITY.