Panera Bread Lawsuit: One Breach Settled, a New One in Court
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Two different Panera data breaches are behind the searches. The 2024 breach, which mostly hit employees, ended in a $2.5 million settlement that got final approval on February 10, 2026 — the claim deadline was November 11, 2025, so it is closed. The January 2026 breach hit customers. Eight lawsuits over it are now one case in federal court in St. Louis. As of October 2026 there is no settlement, no claim form and no payment for the 2026 breach.
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What the Lawsuits Say Happened
The 2024 breach (employees). Panera says it detected a security incident on March 23, 2024, during a weekend when its website, app and kiosks went down. Its investigation found “unauthorized access to certain corporate files.” Current and former workers allege the files held names, Social Security numbers and health records, and that they were not told until letters went out on June 13, 2024 or later.
The January 2026 breach (customers). The complaints allege that attackers took unencrypted customer data in late January 2026: names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, genders, birthdates and purchase histories. A hacker group claims it took more than 14 million records. Later reports put the number of unique people at about 5.1 million. Panera’s CEO called it a “social engineering incident” involving a third-party software app. He said no payment information, employee systems, MyPanera accounts or Unlimited Sip Club data were involved. The suits plead negligence, unjust enrichment and invasion of privacy. They also point out that this was Panera’s second breach in under two years, and its third counting a 2018 website exposure.
Case Details
2024 breach: In re Panera Data Security Litigation, No. 4:24-cv-00847, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, before Judge Henry Edward Autrey. The first worker suits were filed on June 18, 2024 and were consolidated that October. The defendants named on the docket are Panera, LLC and JAB Holding Company.
2026 breach: Keleshian v. Panera, LLC, No. 4:26-cv-00123, same court, before Judge Maria A. Lanahan. On March 5, 2026 the court combined six later suits (Cardin, Cipriani, Romero, Aronson, Jacobs and Sutcliff) into Keleshian, and Jones v. Panera Brands, No. 4:26-cv-00198, followed on April 7, 2026. Court records can be searched on CourtListener.
Status as of October 2026
2026 breach — active, early stage. On October 1, 2026 the court appointed interim co-lead counsel for the proposed class, and an amended consolidated complaint was filed on October 6, 2026. A hearing on a plaintiffs’ steering committee is set for October 14, 2026. There is no settlement, no fund, no administrator, no claim form and no deadline. Panera has not been found liable for anything.
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Who Is Affected by Which Case
2024 Panera Bread data breach settlement: about 147,321 people in the U.S. who were sent Panera’s notice about the March 2024 incident, mostly current and former employees, plus a small number of customers, contractors and others. If you got that letter and filed by November 11, 2025, you are in line for payment. If you didn’t file, the window has closed.
2026 Panera Bread class action lawsuit: the complaints seek a nationwide class of customers whose data was taken in the January 2026 incident. You do not need to sign up for anything. If a class is certified or a settlement is reached, a court-appointed administrator will send notice and set a claim deadline. One way to check whether your email address was in the leaked data is a breach-lookup service such as Have I Been Pwned.
How Much the Panera Bread Settlement Paid
2026 breach: nothing is payable. There is no settlement, no fund and no claim form, and no court has put a value on these claims. Any dollar figure you see for the 2026 case is a guess.
Panera Bread Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
March 23, 2024 — Security Incident Detected
Panera detects a security incident during a multi-day outage of its website, app and kiosks. Notice letters reach workers from June 13, 2024 onward.
- 2
June 18, 2024 — Worker Lawsuits Begin
Employees file the first class actions in the Eastern District of Missouri. In October 2024 they are consolidated as In re Panera Data Security Litigation, No. 4:24-cv-00847.
- 3
July 14, 2025 — Settlement Preliminarily Approved
Judge Autrey preliminarily approves the $2.5 million settlement. The opt-out deadline is October 13, 2025 and the claim deadline is November 11, 2025.
- 4
January 28, 2026 — New Breach, New Suits
Customers start suing over the January 2026 breach, beginning with Keleshian, No. 4:26-cv-00123. At least seven more suits follow within weeks.
- 5
February 10, 2026 — 2024 Settlement Final
The court grants final approval of the $2.5 million employee-breach settlement. The new customer cases are consolidated on March 5, 2026 and April 7, 2026.
- 6
October 2026 — 2026 Case Gets Lead Counsel
Interim co-lead class counsel is appointed on October 1, 2026, and an amended complaint is filed on October 6, 2026. There is still no settlement for the 2026 breach.
Three Things to Watch For
Two breaches, one closed settlement and one open lawsuit leave plenty of room for confusion. These are the traps that fit this case:
“Claim your Panera settlement cash” posts
The $2.5 million settlement is sometimes promoted as if it were still open. Its claim deadline was November 11, 2025. No form filed today counts, and no settlement exists for the 2026 customer breach.
Emails that use your Panera order history
The 2026 complaints say purchase histories, emails and phone numbers were taken, which makes it easy to write a convincing fake Panera email. Don’t click links in messages about refunds, rewards or “breach compensation.” Go to the app or website directly.
Fees to “speed up” a settlement check
Be wary of any request for a fee, a gift card or your full Social Security number in return for a settlement payment.
Panera Bread Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Is there a Panera Bread settlement I can still file for?
No. The only Panera Bread data breach settlement, $2.5 million over the 2024 incident, closed for claims on November 11, 2025 and received final approval on February 10, 2026. The January 2026 breach has no settlement yet.
How much will I get from the bread settlement?
For the Panera 2024 settlement: up to $500 for documented losses, up to $6,500 for extraordinary losses, or a residual cash payment estimated at $250 (plus $100 in California), and only if you filed by November 11, 2025. If you mean the Canadian bread price-fixing settlement, that is a separate case against Loblaw and George Weston, not Panera. It is a $500 million settlement for packaged bread bought between January 2001 and December 2021; claimants were told to expect about $25 within six to 12 months of the December 2025 deadline.
What data was taken in the Panera Bread data breach?
In 2024, the workers’ suits allege names, Social Security numbers and health records. In January 2026, per the complaints: customer names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, genders, birthdates and purchase histories. Panera says the 2026 incident did not include payment information or MyPanera accounts.
How many people were affected?
About 147,321 people were sent notices about the 2024 incident. For 2026, a hacker group claimed 14 million records, and later reports estimated about 5.1 million unique people. No court has confirmed the 2026 figure.
Is it worth joining a class action lawsuit?
You don’t join a class action like the 2026 Panera case. If a class is certified, you are in it unless you opt out. Staying in costs nothing but gives up the right to sue on your own. Opting out only makes sense if your losses are large enough for a separate lawsuit.
Who bought out Panera Bread?
JAB Holding Company. On April 5, 2017, Panera and JAB announced a deal for JAB to buy Panera for $315 per share in cash, about $7.5 billion including debt. JAB Holding Company is also named as a defendant in the 2024 breach case.
Is this the Charged Lemonade lawsuit?
No. The Charged Lemonade cases were wrongful-death and injury suits over a caffeinated drink, and they are all resolved on confidential terms. See our Panera Charged Lemonade lawsuit page. This page covers the data breach cases only.
What should I do right now?
If you filed a 2024 claim, keep your claim ID and check with the administrator. If you are a Panera customer, watch for phishing that mentions your orders, and consider a free credit freeze. For the 2026 case, there is nothing to file until a court-approved notice exists.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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