If you were affected, free legal review is available — no obligation.
Learn how to participate in the class action and what compensation you may be entitled to.
Join the Class Action →Use our verification tool to confirm your letter matches this official AG filing.
Verify My Notice LetterThis case file references a public filing made with the state filing in MA. This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any state government agency.
Based on the data types reported in this filing:
Your SSN is the master key to your identity. Once exposed, criminals can open new lines of credit, take out loans, or file taxes in your name.
Combined with a name and other leaked data, date of birth helps criminals pass identity verification questions at banks and government agencies.
Home address exposure can enable mail theft, package fraud, and targeted phishing attacks that reference your known location.
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth was responsible for safeguarding the personal data of its customers and employees. According to a MA state filing, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth experienced a data security incident affecting an undisclosed number of individuals, exposing financial account information and payment data. Legal proceedings relating to this breach are ongoing.
Student data is protected by both the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the applicable Massachusetts Data Security Law (201 CMR 17.00). A breach at an educational institution carries specific compliance obligations, and affected individuals — including parents of minor students — may have grounds for legal action if FERPA and state law protections were not honored.
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth appears to be an educational institution and public university campus that provides higher education services to students, faculty, and staff. In the regular course of operations, the university typically collects and stores sensitive personal information, including student and employee records, academic histories, financial data, and personal identifiers. This data breach was officially reported to the Massachusetts Attorney General in 2025. If you received a data breach notification letter, it means your personal information may have been involved in the incident. This page provides an overview of what happened and the types of data that may have been exposed.
Common categories of compensation in data breach class actions
Courts recognize that the time spent monitoring accounts, placing credit freezes, and dealing with the aftermath of a breach has real economic value. This category of damages is recoverable even without direct financial loss.
Professional credit monitoring services cost $10–$40 per month. Identity theft restoration services, if needed, can cost hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. Courts have awarded these costs as direct damages in SSN breach cases.
Direct financial losses resulting from the breach — unauthorized charges, fraudulent transfers, or fees incurred through fraud — are recoverable as compensatory damages. Banks may reverse some charges; a class action recovers the remainder and associated costs.
Data breach victims regularly report anxiety, loss of sleep, and ongoing fear of identity theft. These non-economic harms are cognizable injuries in data breach litigation, particularly in cases involving SSN or medical record exposure.
Under the Massachusetts Data Security Law (201 CMR 17.00), you may have a legal claim against University of Massachusetts Dartmouth if any of the following apply:
Applicable State Law
This breach was reported under the Massachusetts Data Security Law (201 CMR 17.00), which mandates notification and establishes your right to seek damages.
Received a notification letter from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth?
Read our dedicated guide — what the letter means and what to do.
No. Under Massachusetts Data Security Law (201 CMR 17.00) and federal law, the unauthorized exposure of your personal data — regardless of whether it has been actively misused — can be sufficient grounds for a claim. The breach itself is the injury.
Nothing. The Law Office of David S. Harris handles data breach cases on contingency — you pay zero upfront and owe nothing unless compensation is recovered.
Immediately place a free credit freeze at all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). A freeze blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. Then file a complaint with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov and contact our office — SSN exposure is one of the most serious breach types.
Banks may reverse fraudulent charges, but they are not obligated to compensate you for time lost, stress, or indirect damages. A class action claim against the breached company can recover those additional categories of harm.
Statutes of limitations for data breach claims vary by state but typically run 2–4 years. Depending on when you learned of the breach, you may still have time. Contact our office for a free eligibility review — there is no cost to find out.
Accepting free credit monitoring from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth does not waive your right to pursue legal action unless you signed a specific release waiving claims. In most cases, victims who accepted monitoring can still file.
Not necessarily. Many data breach victims are never notified directly. If your personal information was held by University of Massachusetts Dartmouth during the relevant period, you may still qualify even without receiving a letter. A free eligibility review can confirm your status.
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth breach?
Free case review · No fee unless you win