Midwest Womens Healthcare Specialists Data Breach (2014)

Attorneys representing more than 1,500 women whose personal medical information was compromised when their records were blown from a dumpster on a windy day in May have reached a settlement agreement with the medical group responsible. In the settlement agreement, which still has to be approved by a judge in January, Midwest Womens Healthcare Specialists agree to set up a victims fund of $400,000 to compensate the estimated 1,532 women whose documents were improperly disposed of in a dumpster outside Research Medical Center . Midwest Womens Healthcare will also separately agree to pay for up to two years of credit monitoring for the affected women, and it will re-train its employees in the proper handling of sensitive documents. We are pleased to have reached an agreement that is satisfactory to all parties, a spokesperson for the group said in an emailed statement. As we said previously, we have taken steps to enhance the security of patient information. The spokesperson added there have been no reports of anyones personal information being compromised. Attorney Maureen Brady, who filed the class-action suit on behalf of victim Brittany Short back in June, said she, too was pleased with the proposed settlement. "Both sides worked very hard to get this resolved quickly, and to seek justice for all of those involved," Brady told 41 Action News.