The DentaQuest Hearing Happened on October 6. A Day Later the Judge Picked the Lawyers Who Will Run the Breach Case — There Is Still No Settlement, No Fund and No Claim Form.

Many people searching for a “DentaQuest settlement hearing” expect news about money. The hearing on October 6, 2026 was not about money. It was set on a single question: which group of plaintiffs’ firms should lead the consolidated class action over the 2026 DentaQuest data breach. The court’s notice set it for 11:00 a.m. in Courtroom 8, “In person only,” before Judge Angel Kelley. According to the clerk’s notes, the judge “heard oral argument on the pending motion and took the matter under advisement.”

The ruling came the next day. In a two-page memorandum and order dated October 7, 2026, Judge Kelley granted the majority plaintiffs’ motion (Dkt. 32) and denied the competing application (Dkt. 34). The new interim co-lead class counsel are lawyers from Milberg PLLC, Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP and Lynch Carpenter, LLP, with Block & Leviton as liaison counsel. The losing slate came from Barnow and Associates, P.C. and Pastor Law Office PC.

The judge found that “both teams have the requisite knowledge of the law, adequate resources to litigate the case, and substantial experience handling data-breach class actions,” and gave two reasons for the choice: the winning team “is supported by the vast majority of the plaintiffs,” and it “has already contributed substantially to the litigation by working on the Motion to Consolidate, retaining experts, coordinating with the plaintiffs, and continuing their investigation of the case.” Our DentaQuest data breach case page tracks the full background.

As of October 10, 2026, there is no settlement, no settlement fund, no claims administrator and no claim form in this case. The docket entries we read run through October 9, 2026, and none of them mention a settlement. No class has been certified either: the order rests on Rule 23(g)(3), which lets a court name interim counsel “to act on behalf of a putative class before determining whether to certify the action as a class action.”

What the appointment does change is who can speak for everyone affected. The proposed order the winning firms filed lists their powers, including “To conduct settlement negotiations on behalf of Plaintiffs and the putative class” and “To allocate attorneys’ fees.” So if a DentaQuest settlement ever comes, these firms will be the ones negotiating it.

How much do you usually get from a data breach settlement? For DentaQuest the honest answer is that no amount exists. No fund has been agreed, and no court filing names a per-person figure. Any website quoting a DentaQuest payout amount is guessing. Our data breach settlement calculator explains how payouts in other breach cases have been structured, but it cannot tell you what this case will pay.

These are the next steps in the court’s own orders. Some have dates and some have only a clock:

• October 14, 2026: the deadline the October 7 order set for the new interim counsel “to submit a proposed Order regarding their appointment as interim class counsel.” They filed it early, on October 8, 2026 (Dkt. 56). The proposed order leaves the signature and date blank. As of October 10, 2026, the docket shows no signed version.
• Consolidated complaint: under the July 31, 2026 consolidation order, which the October 7 order points to “for all other deadlines,” plaintiffs “shall file a consolidated class action complaint within 45 days of entry of an order appointing Interim Class Counsel.” No source gives a calendar date for this deadline.
• Then the motion schedule: DentaQuest’s response is due 45 days after the consolidated complaint is filed, plaintiffs’ response to any motion to dismiss 45 days after that, and DentaQuest’s reply 21 days after that.

The docket entries we read through October 9, 2026 show no further hearing date. Later lawsuits over the same breach are folded into this case automatically: the consolidation order says any related action filed in that court “shall be automatically stayed pending resolution of the Consolidated Action.”

There is no DentaQuest settlement claim to file. You do not have to sign up anywhere to stay in the class, and the proposed order does not ask class members to do anything. The one deadline that matters right now comes from DentaQuest’s notice letter, not from the court.

• Enroll in the free monitoring. The letter offers “identity monitoring by Kroll at no cost to you for 24 months,” including credit monitoring, fraud consultation and identity theft restoration. You enroll at Enroll.krollmonitoring.com/redeem with the activation code and verification ID printed in your letter. The letter says: “You have 90 days from the date this letter was mailed to start your identity monitoring services.”
• Freeze your credit. The letter itself notes you can place a security freeze “free of charge” with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
• Keep the letter. If the case ever settles, a notice letter is the simplest way to show you were affected.

DentaQuest’s letter opens: “DentaQuest works with, or used to work with, your health plan to provide your dental or vision benefits. We are writing to tell you about a data security incident.” Many people affected never chose DentaQuest themselves. Their health plan used it to run dental or vision benefits. That is why the letter can come from a company you do not recognize.

The sample letter DentaQuest filed with the California Attorney General gives its help line as 1-844-959-7163, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time. It names Kroll as the monitoring provider. To check a letter, compare it with those details and enroll only through the Kroll address printed in it.

Treat any message about a DentaQuest settlement payment or a DentaQuest claim form with suspicion. As of October 10, 2026, the court docket shows no settlement and no administrator, so there is no official claims site. Do not give your Social Security number to a site claiming otherwise.

Do DentaQuest pay for braces? This case is about the data breach, not dental coverage, and it does not affect your benefits. DentaQuest provides benefits through your health plan, so ask your plan’s member services about orthodontic coverage.

According to DentaQuest’s notice, the company discovered on May 20, 2026 that unauthorized individuals had accessed its network. The incident began on May 17, 2026 and ended by May 20. SecurityWeek, citing the notice, reports that the exposed data included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, member identification numbers, Medicaid and Medicare numbers, and diagnosis, treatment and billing information. SecurityWeek also reports that DentaQuest confirmed at least 15 million people were affected. A HIPAA Journal estimate of more than 23.4 million people potentially affected is an estimate, not a company figure.

The first lawsuit was filed on June 1, 2026. On July 31, 2026, Judge Kelley consolidated 13 cases into a single master case. With lead counsel now chosen, the case moves on to a consolidated complaint and the fight over whether it survives a motion to dismiss. The October 6 hearing settled who runs the plaintiffs’ side. It did not decide whether DentaQuest owes anyone money, and it did not start any payments.