Monroe University Data Breach Lawsuit: 320,973 People, No Settlement
Active Litigation
Monroe University, the private college in the Bronx and New Rochelle, says an intruder copied files from its network between December 9 and December 23, 2024. Letters went out on January 2, 2026, and nine class actions were filed in Manhattan federal court between January 13 and January 26, 2026. By early March 2026, at least seven of them had been voluntarily withdrawn. As of October 15, 2026 there is no Monroe University data breach settlement, no fund and no claim form.
Questions about this case?
AI Legal Assistant · free · answers in seconds · general information, not legal advice
Independent information service: Settlement Insight is not the settlement administrator, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the company named above, and is not a law firm. Submitting this form does not file a claim — it shares your information with our participating legal intake partners, who may contact you about your options.
What Happened in the Monroe University Data Breach
According to the university's notice letter dated January 2, 2026, an unauthorized party had access to certain Monroe systems between December 9, 2024 and December 23, 2024 and acquired copies of some files. A review of those files concluded on September 30, 2025. The university reported the incident to the Maine Attorney General as affecting 320,973 people.
The information varied by person but may have included name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license, passport or other government ID number, medical and health insurance information, account usernames and passwords, financial account information and student data. The university says it has no evidence the data has been used for identity theft or fraud.
The lawsuits allege Monroe failed to use reasonable data security and waited too long to tell anyone: letters went out more than a year after the intrusion and about three months after the file review ended. The Maysonet complaint, for example, pleads negligence, breach of implied contract and unjust enrichment. These are allegations; no court has ruled on them.
Case details
Nine proposed class actions were filed against Monroe University, Ltd. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York between January 13 and January 26, 2026. The first was Baboolal v. Monroe University, LTD, No. 1:26-cv-00281. The others: Maysonet (1:26-cv-00344), Ryan (1:26-cv-00370), Rivera (1:26-cv-00403), Ortiz II (1:26-cv-00446), Rosario (1:26-cv-00450), Baston (1:26-cv-00562), Hernandez (1:26-cv-00631) and Mack (1:26-cv-00669).
Judge Jennifer L. Rochon is shown as the assigned judge in Baboolal, Maysonet, Ryan, Rivera and Mack; the index we checked lists no judge for the other four. In a January 26, 2026 order she set a joint conference for March 9, 2026 to discuss consolidation and lead counsel, and paused the university's deadline to respond. The docket is public on CourtListener.
Status: Most Federal Suits Withdrawn, No Settlement
“Without prejudice” means the claims can be brought again, in this or another court. The filings do not say why they were withdrawn, and we found no public report of a refiled case or a settlement.
For the remaining two, Ortiz II and Hernandez, the public docket index we checked shows no termination date, but we could not read their latest entries (February 24 and March 23, 2026). Treat their status as unconfirmed as of October 15, 2026.
Follow this case
There's no claim deadline yet. We'll email you if a settlement opens a claim period.
Who Was Affected
The people in Monroe's files: current and former students, applicants and others whose records the university held. The school says it enrolls over 9,000 students a year across the Bronx, New Rochelle and Saint Lucia, and it was founded in 1933, so the files reach back a long way. The Maysonet complaint described the class as students and applicants nationwide.
The practical test is your mail. If you were affected, you should have received a letter dated January 2, 2026 from Monroe University, mailed from Cyberscout in Suwanee, GA. It lists the specific data elements involved for you. Keep it: it is your proof if a case is ever refiled or settled.
There is nothing to join. Because no class has been certified and nothing has settled, no one can sign you up for a payment.
Is There Any Money?
The one concrete benefit was the university's own offer: one year of free triple-bureau credit monitoring through Cyberscout, a TransUnion company. The letter required enrollment within 90 days of January 2, 2026, so that window closed in early April 2026.
The complaints asked for reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs, damages, longer credit monitoring and security improvements. Those were demands, not awards. If you want a sense of what resolved breach cases have paid, see our data breach settlement calculator — it is a comparison, not a prediction for Monroe.
Monroe University Data Breach Timeline
December 9–23, 2024 — The Intrusion
An unauthorized party has access to Monroe systems and copies files, according to the university's notice.
September 30, 2025 — File Review Ends
The university's review concludes that the copied files contain personal information.
January 2, 2026 — Letters Mailed
Notices go out with an offer of one year of Cyberscout credit monitoring. The Maine filing puts the total at 320,973 people.
January 13–26, 2026 — Nine Federal Suits
Class actions are filed in the Southern District of New York, starting with Baboolal (1:26-cv-00281). Judge Jennifer L. Rochon is assigned to at least five of them.
January 26, 2026 — Cases Coordinated
Judge Rochon schedules a joint conference for March 9, 2026 on consolidation and lead counsel and pauses the university's response deadline.
February 17 – March 3, 2026 — Suits Withdrawn
At least seven plaintiffs file voluntary dismissals without prejudice. As of October 15, 2026, no settlement has been reported.
Three Things to Watch For
A breach that exposed Social Security numbers, passport numbers and student records, with no settlement to anchor it, leaves room for imposters:
“Claim your Monroe University settlement”
There is no settlement and no claims site. A page or text asking for your Social Security number or student ID to “release your payment” is collecting data, not paying anything.
Calls posing as Monroe or financial aid
The stolen files included student and financial account data, so a caller may know your program or aid details. Hang up and call the university's main number, (718) 933-6700, printed on the notice letter.
Fake credit monitoring re-enrollment
The Cyberscout enrollment window closed in early April 2026. A message saying you must “re-activate” monitoring by paying a fee or entering card details is not from Monroe or Cyberscout.
Monroe University Data Breach — Questions People Ask
Short answers to the questions people ask most about this case.
Is there a Monroe University data breach settlement?
No. As of October 15, 2026, no settlement has been announced, and there is no fund, administrator, claim form or deadline. If a settlement were ever reached, a court-appointed administrator would notify class members directly.
How many people were affected by the Monroe University data breach?
320,973 people, according to the university's notification to the Maine Attorney General, filed in January 2026.
What information was exposed?
It varied by person. The university lists name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license, passport and other government ID numbers, medical and health insurance information, account usernames and passwords, financial account information and student data. Your own letter states which applied to you.
Why were the lawsuits dropped?
The dismissal notices do not give a reason. They were filed without prejudice, which means the claims can be refiled. We found no public record of a refiled case as of October 15, 2026.
Is any Monroe University lawsuit still open?
Possibly. At least seven of the nine federal cases were voluntarily dismissed between February 17 and March 3, 2026. For Ortiz II (1:26-cv-00446) and Hernandez (1:26-cv-00631), the docket index we checked shows no termination date, but we could not confirm what their latest filings say.
Is this the same as the Monroe College ransomware attack?
No. That was an earlier ransomware attack, when the school was still called Monroe College, in which attackers demanded 170 bitcoins (about $2 million at the time). This page covers the December 2024 intrusion that was disclosed in January 2026.
Can I still get the free credit monitoring?
Not through the original offer. The letter required enrollment within 90 days of January 2, 2026, so the window closed in early April 2026. A credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and does more to block new accounts.
What should I do now?
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus. Change any password that matches your old Monroe account login. Watch health insurance statements for care you never received. Keep your January 2, 2026 letter in case a case is refiled or settled. For other university breaches, see our pages on the University of Hawaii settlement and the Southern Illinois University breach.
About This Information
- Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology. Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
- $236 billion in real payouts analyzed · See what we found
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Lawsuit status, eligibility, and compensation can change. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and does not represent any party. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.
Related Consumer Brand Lawsuits
Other cases and free tools — not about this case.
Similar cases we track
- University of Hawaii Data BreachA university breach that did reach a settlement with a claim form
- Southern Illinois University BreachAnother university breach with Social Security numbers exposed
- Data Breach Settlement CalculatorWhat comparable breach settlements have paid per person
- Open Class Action SettlementsSettlements you can file a claim in right now