Peoples Bank Security Incident Litigation
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Court authorized this notice because you have a right to know about the Settlement, and all of your options, before the Court decides whether to give “final approval” to the Settlement. This notice explains the nature of the lawsuit that is the subject of the Settlement, the general terms of the Settlement, and your legal rights and options.

Judge Michael H. Watson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio case captioned as In re Peoples Bank, as Successor to Limestone Bank, Security Incident Litigation, Case No. 2:23-cv-03043-MHW-EPD. The individuals who brought the lawsuit, Plaintiffs Latasha Brooks, Michael Brooks, Earl Blankenship, Stephen McDonald, and Cheryl Barefoot are called the Plaintiffs. The entity being sued, Peoples Bank, as successor to Limestone Bank, is called Defendant.

The lawsuit claims that Defendant was responsible for the Security Incident and that Plaintiffs were injured as a result of the Security Incident.

Defendant denies these claims and says it did not do anything wrong. No court or other judicial entity has made any judgment or other determination that Defendant has any liability for these claims or did anything wrong.

In a class action, one or more people called class representatives or representative plaintiffs sue on behalf of all people who have similar claims. Together, all of these people are called a class, and the individuals are called class members. One court resolves the issues for all class members, except for those who exclude themselves from the class.

The Court has not decided in favor of the Plaintiffs or Defendant. Instead, both sides agreed to the Settlement. The Settlement avoids the cost and risk of a trial and related appeals, while providing benefits to members of the Class (“Class Members”). The Class Representatives appointed to represent the Class and the attorneys for the Class (“Class Counsel,” see Question 18) think the Settlement is best for all Class Members.

You are affected by the Settlement and potentially a member of the Class if you reside in the United States and your Private Information may have been compromised in connection with the Security Incident, including if you were mailed a notification by or on behalf of Limestone Bank regarding the Security Incident.

Only Class Members are eligible to receive benefits under the Settlement. Specifically excluded from the Class are: (i) all Persons who timely and validly request exclusion from the Class; (ii) the Judge assigned to evaluate the fairness of this Settlement; and (iii) 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 Security Incident or who pleads nolo contendere to any such charge.

If you are not sure whether you are included in the Settlement, you may call (833) 419-4222 with questions. You may also write with questions to:

Peoples Bank Security Incident Settlement Administrator

P.O. Box 301134

Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134

www.PeoplesBankSettlement.com

The Settlement provides that Defendant will fund the following payments up to a total of $782,500: (a) up to $5,000 for reimbursement of your documented Out-of-Pocket Expenses reasonably traceable to the Security Incident; (b) a pro rata $85 cash payment, subject to adjustment as set forth below; and (c) two years of three-bureau credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

The $85 pro rata payment will be dispersed after the distribution of attorneys’ fees, Class Counsel’s litigation expenses, Service Awards, Notice and Administrative Expenses, and other Settlement benefits to claimants. The other Settlement benefits are also subject to pro rata reduction as needed in the event that the total claims exceed the $782,500 cap on payments to be made by Defendant, and payments may also be increased on a pro rata basis until the Settlement Fund is distributed. Payment of (1) attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses (see Question 19), and (2) the costs of notifying the Class and administering the Settlement will also be paid out of the Settlement Fund.

Class Members who submit a claim are eligible to receive:

a)        A potential residual cash payment of the remainder funds, which is estimated to be $85 but maybe adjusted upward or downward pro rata based on how many other claims are made.

b)        Reimbursement of actual, documented, unreimbursed Out-of-Pocket Expenses resulting from the Security Incident (up to $5,000 in total), such as the following incurred on or after November 21, 2022:

  • Unreimbursed losses relating to fraud or identity theft;
  • Professional fees including attorneys’ fees, accountants’ fees, and fees for credit repair services;
  • Costs associated with freezing or unfreezing credit with any credit reporting agency;
  • Credit monitoring costs that were incurred on or after the Security Incident through the date of claim submission;
  • Parking expenses or other transportation expenses for trips to a financial institution to address fraudulent charges or receive a replacement payment card;
  • Instances of verified fraud such as fraudulent bank or credit card charges, fraudulent tax filings, fraudulent opening/closing of bank or credit accounts, unemployment filings, or other fraudulent actions taken using your information from the Security Incident;
  • Miscellaneous expenses such as notary, fax, postage, copying, mileage, and long-distance telephone charges; and
  • Other expenses that are reasonably attributable to the Security Incident that were not reimbursed.

To receive a benefit under the Settlement, you must complete and submit a claim for that benefit (a “Claim”). Every Claim must be made on a form (“Claim Form”) available at www.PeoplesBankSettlement.com or by calling (833) 419-4222. Claim Forms will also be sent to Class Members as part of the postcard notice and tear-off Claim Form that will be mailed to Class Members. Read the instructions carefully, fill out the Claim Form, provide the required documentation, and submit it according to the instructions on the Claim Form.

The Settlement Administrator will decide whether and to what extent any Claim made on each Claim Form is valid. The Settlement Administrator may require additional information. If you do not provide the additional information in a timely manner, then the Claim will be considered invalid and will not be paid.

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on September 23, 2025, at 11 a.m. ET to decide whether to approve the Settlement. If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals from that decision and resolving those can take time, perhaps more than a year. It also takes time for all the Claim Forms to be processed. Please be patient.

The Defendant gets a release from all claims covered by this Settlement. Thus, if the Settlement becomes final and you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement, you will be a Class Member and you will give up your right to sue Defendant and other persons (“Released Entities”) as to all claims (“Released Claims”) arising out of or relating to the Data Incident. This release is described in the Settlement Agreement, which is available at www.PeoplesBankSettlement.com. If you have any questions, you can talk to the law firms listed in Question 18 for free or you can talk to your own lawyer.

No. If you exclude yourself, you will not be entitled to receive any benefits from the Settlement, but you will not be bound by any judgment in this case.

No. Unless you exclude yourself, you give up any right to sue Defendant (and any other Released Parties) for the claims that this Settlement resolves. You must exclude yourself from the Class to start your own lawsuit or to be part of any different lawsuit relating to the claims in this case. If you want to exclude yourself, then do not submit a Claim Form to ask for any benefit under the Settlement.

To exclude yourself, send a letter that states you want to be excluded or opt out from the Settlement in In re Peoples Bank, as Successor to Limestone Bank, Security Incident Litigation, Case No. 2:23-cv- 03043-MHW-EPD, United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio. The letter must: (a) state your full name, address, and telephone number; (b) contain your personal and original signature or the original signature of a person authorized by law to act on your behalf; and
(c) state unequivocally your intent to be excluded from the Settlement. You must mail your exclusion request postmarked by 7/14/2025, to:

Peoples Bank Security Incident Settlement Administrator

Attn: Exclusions

P.O. Box 301134

Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134

You can tell the Court that you do not agree with the Settlement or some part of it by objecting to the Settlement. The Court will consider your views in its decision on whether to approve the Settlement. The Court can only approve or deny the Settlement and cannot change its terms. To object, you must mail your objection to the Clerk of the Court, at the mailing addresse listed below, postmarked by no later than the Objection Deadline, 7/14/2025:

Office of the Clerk

Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse Room 121

85 Marconi Boulevard

Columbus, OH 43215

Your objection must be written and must include all of the following: (i) the objector’s full name and address; (ii) the case name and docket number, In re Peoples Bank, as Successor to Limestone Bank Litigation, Case No. 2:23-cv-03043-MHW-EPD (S.D. Ohio); (iii) information identifying the objector as a Class Member, including proof that the objector is a member of the Class (e.g., copy of the objector’s settlement notice, copy of original notice of the Security Incident, or a statement explaining why the objector believes he or she is a Class Member); (iv) a written statement of all grounds for the objection, accompanied by any legal support for the objection the objector believes applicable; (v) the identity of any and all counsel representing the objector in connection with the objection; (vi) a statement whether the objector and/or his or her counsel will appear at the Final Approval Hearing; and (vii) the objector’s signature or the signature of the objector’s duly-authorized attorney or other duly-authorized representative (if any) representing him or her in connection with the objection.

Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like the Settlement and why you do not think it should be approved. You can object only if you are a Class Member. Excluding yourself is telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Class and do not want to receive any payment from the Settlement. If you exclude yourself, then you have no basis to object because you are no longer a member of the Class, and the case no longer affects you. If you submit both a valid objection and a valid request to be excluded, you will be deemed to have only submitted the request to be excluded.

Yes. The Court appointed Terence R. Coates of Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, 119 E. Court Street, Suite 530, Cincinnati, OH 45202; and Philip J. Krzeski, Chestnut Cambronne, 100 Washington Avenue South, Suite 1700, Minneapolis, MN 55401 as Class Counsel to represent the Class. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, then you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel will ask the Court for an award for attorneys’ fees up to $260,833.33 plus litigation expenses. Defendant has agreed not to object to any award of attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses up to those amounts, to the extent they are approved by the Court. This payment for any attorneys’ fees and expenses to Class Counsel will be made out of the Settlement Fund. Any such award would compensate Class Counsel for investigating the facts, litigating the case,
and negotiating the Settlement and will be the only payment to them for their efforts in achieving this Settlement and for their risk in undertaking this representation on a wholly contingent basis.

Any award for attorneys’ fees and expenses for Class Counsel must be approved by the Court. The Court may award less than the amount requested. Class Counsel’s papers in support of final approval of the Settlement will be filed no later than 9/9/2025, and their application for attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses will be filed no later than June 29, 2025and will be posted on the Settlement Website.

The Class Representatives will request Service Awards in the amount up to $2,500 each for their time and effort pursuing this matter on behalf of the Class and in achieving the $782,500 non-reversionary common fund settlement. Defendant has not agreed to any Service Awards, and like the attorneys’ fees and expenses, are subject to Court approval. This payment for any attorneys’ fees and expenses to Class Counsel and service awards will be made out of the Settlement Fund.

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing at September 23, 2025, at 11 a.m. ET, at the Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse, 85 Marconi Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43215, or by remote or virtual means as ordered by the Court. At this hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. If there are timely and valid objections, then the Court will consider them and will listen to people who have asked to speak at the hearing if such a request has been properly made. The Court will also rule on the request for an award of attorneys’ fees and reasonable costs and expenses. After the hearing the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. We do not know how long these decisions will take. The hearing may be moved to a different date or time without additional notice, so Class Counsel recommend checking www.PeoplesBankSettlement.com or calling (833) 419-4222.

No. Class Counsel will present the Settlement Agreement to the Court. You or your own lawyer are welcome to attend at your expense, but you are not required to do so. If you send an objection, you do not have to visit the Court to talk about it. As long as you filed your written objection on time with the Court and mailed it according to the instructions provided in Question 16, the Court will consider it.

You may ask the Court for permission to speak at the Final Approval Hearing. To do so, you must file an objection according to the instructions in Question 16, including all the information required. Your objection must be mailed to the Clerk of the Court postmarked no later than 7/14/2025.

If you do nothing, you will not get any money from this Settlement. If the Settlement is granted final approval and the judgment becomes final, then you will not be able to start a lawsuit, continue with a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against Defendant and the other Released Parties based on any of the Released Claims related to the Data Incident, ever again.

The notice summarizes the proposed Settlement. More details are available in the Settlement Agreement itself. A copy of the Settlement Agreement is available at www.PeoplesBankSettlement.com. You may also call the Settlement Administrator with questions or to receive a Claim Form at (833) 419-4222.

The notice is approved by United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT DIRECTLY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SETTLEMENT. Please contact the Settlement Administrator or Class Counsel if you have any questions about the Settlement.