LOS ANGELES (AP) – Former Sony Pictures Entertainment employees whose personal information was posted online last year after a massive data breach have reached a settlement in a proposed class action lawsuit, their attorneys said Wednesday.
The settlement was announced in a filing in a federal lawsuit that was seeking class-action status on behalf of nearly 50,000 current and former Sony employees whose private personal, financial and medical information was posted online. The filing does not detail the settlement’s terms or how many people would be covered under it.
“We believe the proposed settlement is a favorable resolution of the claims asserted by the plaintiffs,” attorney Daniel C. Girard wrote in the filing.
Girard did not return an email message seeking further comment. Sony declined comment on the settlement, which was reached Tuesday but still needs to crafted into a formal agreement. Additional details about the settlement are expected to be filed in a Los Angeles federal court by mid-October.
At least 10 former Sony employees sued the company in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles over the breach. A hearing on whether the case would achieve class-action status had been scheduled for Sept. 14. Cases filed in Los Angeles Superior Court remain active.