1. Why was a Notice issued?
2. What is this lawsuit about?
3. What is a class action?
4. Why is there a settlement?
5. Who is included in the Settlement?
6. Are there exceptions to being included?
7. What does the Settlement provide?
8. What claims am I releasing if I stay in the Class?
9. How do I submit a claim for a Settlement benefit?
10. Are there any important Settlement payment deadlines?
11. When will the Settlement benefits be issued?
12. How will the lawyers be paid?
13. Should I get my own lawyer?
14. How will Class Counsel be paid?
15. How do I opt out of the Settlement?
16. How do I tell the Court if I like or do not like the Settlement?
17. What is the difference between objecting and excluding?
18. When is the Court’s Final Approval Hearing?
19. Do I have to come to the Final Approval Hearing?
20. What happens if I do nothing at all?
21. How do I get more information?
The Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, authorized the Notice. You have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit, and about all of your options, before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. The Notice explains the lawsuit, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.
The lawsuit is called Mark Buckner. v. Tempel Steel Company, LLC, Case No. 2025CH07827. It is pending in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. The person that filed this lawsuit is called the “Plaintiff” (or “Class Representative”) and the company they sued, Tempel Steel Company, LLC, is called the “Defendant.”
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This lawsuit alleges that during the February 2025 targeted cyberattack on Tempel Steel's computer systems, certain files that contained personal information were potentially accessed. These files may have contained personal information such as name, address, Social Security number, tax identification number, date of birth, health insurance information, health information, driver’s license number or state-issued identification card number, and financial account information.
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In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals are called the “Plaintiffs” or “Class Representatives.” Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Class” or “Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Class Members, except for those who opt out from the settlement. In this Settlement, the Class Representative is Mark Buckner. Everyone included in this Action are the Class Members.
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The Court did not decide whether the Plaintiff or the Defendant are right. Both sides have agreed to a settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and to allow the Class Members to receive benefits from the Settlement. The Plaintiff and their attorney think the Settlement is best for all Class Members.
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The court has defined the Class this way: “All individuals residing in the United States whose Personal Information was potentially compromised in the February 2025 Security Incident affecting Defendant, including all those individuals who received notice of the Security Incident.” Defendant estimates that the Settlement Class includes up to approximately 5,192 individuals.
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Yes. Excluded from the Class are: (i) Defendant, its officers, directors, agents, affiliates, parents, subsidiaries, successors or assigns, or any entity in which Tempel has a controlling interest; (ii) all Settlement Class Members who timely and validly request exclusion from the Settlement Class; (iii) any judges assigned to this case and their staff and immediate family; and (iv) 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 a Class Member, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
Tempel Steel Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana CA 92799
(833) 417-4989
info@TempelDataSettlement.com
You may also view the Settlement Agreement here.
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Tempel Steel has agreed to pay for a number of different benefits. All Class Members may enroll in two years of Credit Monitoring as well as submit a claim for one or more of the cash payment options described below.
Credit Monitoring Services: All Class Members are eligible to enroll in two years of CyEx Identity Defense Total. This comprehensive service comes with $1 million in identity theft insurance, and includes:
real time monitoring of your credit file
dark web scanning
comprehensive public records monitoring
If anything suspicious happens, you will be able to talk to a fraud resolution agent to help fix any problems.
Cash Payment Options:
Ordinary Expenses. If you incurred actual, documented out-of-pocket expenses due to the Security Incident, you can get back up to $1,000.00. The losses must have occurred between February 6, 2025, and April 6, 2026. This benefit covers out-of-pocket expenses like:
fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, or freezing and unfreezing your credit
cost to replace your IDs
postage to contact banks by mail
You need to send proof, like receipts, to show how much you spent or lost. You can also send notes or papers you made yourself to explain or support other proof, but those notes or papers alone are not enough to make a valid claim. Your proof or notes should show that your expenses were because of the Security Incident.
You cannot claim a payment for expenses that have already been reimbursed by a third party.
Compensation for Lost Time. Class Members who spent time responding to the Security Incident may claim up to four (4) hours, at $20.00 per hour, for a maximum of $80.00.
You must have spent the time on tasks related to the Security Incident. Some examples include things like: changing your passwords
investigating suspicious activity in your accounts
researching the Security Incident
Extraordinary Expenses (losses from fraud or identity theft). If you lost money because of identity theft or fraud, you can get back up to $4,000.00. You will need to show that:
the theft or fraud was probably caused by the Security Incident
the losses are not already covered by Ordinary Expenses or Lost Time
you tried to prevent the loss or get your money back, such as by using insurance you already have
The losses must have occurred between February 6, 2025, and April 6, 2026.
You need to send proof, like receipts, to show how much you spent or lost. You can also send notes or papers you made yourself to explain or support other proof, but those notes or papers alone are not enough to make a valid claim. Your proof or notes should show that your expenses were because of the Security Incident.
You cannot claim a payment for expenses that have already been reimbursed by a third party.
If you have questions about these benefits, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
Tempel Steel Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana CA 92799
(833) 417-4989
info@TempelDataSettlement.com
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If you stay in the class, you won’t be able to be part of any other lawsuit against Tempel Steel or the Released Parties about the issues that this Settlement covers. The “Releases” section of the Settlement Agreement (Section IX) describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Class. The Settlement Agreement is available here.
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The fastest way to submit your Claim Form is here. If you prefer, you can download a printable Claim Form here and mail it to the Settlement Administrator at:
Tempel Steel Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana CA 92799
You may also contact the Settlement Administrator to request a Claim Form by telephone, toll free, (833) 417-4989, by email info@TempelDataSettlement.com, or by U.S. mail at the address above.
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If you are submitting a Claim Form online, you must do so by April 6, 2026. If you are submitting a claim by U.S. mail, the completed and signed Claim Form, including supporting documentation, must be postmarked no later than April 6, 2026.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on May 6, 2026 (see Question 18). If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. We do not know if appeals will be filed, or how long it will take to resolve them if they are filed.
Settlement payments will be distributed if the Court grants final approval, and after any appeals are resolved.
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Class Counsel will be paid from the Settlement Amount. The Court will decide how much to award the Plaintiffs’ Counsel. The Court’s decision on Attorneys’ Fees and Litigation Costs will impact the amount you receive, as described in Section 3 above.
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You will not be charged for Class Counsel’s services. If you want your own lawyer, you may hire one at your expense.
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Class Counsel will ask the court to approve $175,000.00 as reasonable attorney's fees and costs of litigation. This amount will be paid by Tempel Steel.
Class Counsel will also ask for a Service Award Payment of $4,000.00 for the Class Representative. The Service Award Payment will also be paid by Tempel Steel.
These amounts will not reduce the benefits available to Class Members.
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If you do not want to be part of the Settlement, you must formally exclude yourself from the Settlement. This is called a Request for Exclusion and is sometimes also called “opting out.” If you opt out, you will not receive Settlement benefits or payment. However, you will keep any rights you may have to sue Tempel Steel on your own about the legal issues in this case.
If you exclude yourself, you are telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. You will not be eligible to receive any Settlement benefits if you exclude yourself. The deadline to exclude yourself from the Settlement is March 6, 2026.
To be valid, your Request for Exclusion must have the following information:
the name of the Action: Mark Buckner. v. Tempel Steel Company, LLC, Case No. 2025CH07827, pending in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
personal signature; and
the words “Request for Exclusion” or a clear and similar statement that you do not want to participate in the Settlement.
You may only exclude yourself—not any other person.
Mail your Request for Exclusion to the Settlement Administrator at:
Tempel Steel Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana CA 92799
Your Request for Exclusion must be postmarked by March 6, 2026.
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If you are a Class Member and do not like part or all of the Settlement, you can object to it. Objecting means telling the Court your reasons for why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement. The Court will consider your views.
You cannot object if you have excluded yourself from the Settlement (see Question 15).
You must provide the following information for the Court to consider your objection:
the name of the Action: Mark Buckner. v. Tempel Steel Company, LLC, Case No. 2025CH07827, pending in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
a clear description of all the reasons you object; include any legal support, such as documents, you may have for your objection;
if you have hired your own lawyer to represent you for this objection, provide their name, bar number, and contact information;
a statement regarding whether the Settlement Class Member or their attorney intends to appear at the Final Approval Hearing;
your signature (or, if you have hired your own lawyer, your lawyer’s signature).
if you or your lawyer have objected in any other cases in the past three years, list the names, courts, and civil action numbers for each of those cases;
For your objection to be valid, it must meet each of these requirements.
To be considered by the Court, you must file your complete objection with the Clerk of Court by March 6, 2025. You must also send a copy of the objection to the Settlement Administrator.
Clerk of the Court | Settlement Administrator |
Clerk of the Court | Tempel Steel Security Incident Settlement |
Class Counsel | Counsel for Defendants |
Cassandra P. Miller | Casie D. Collignon |
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Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement. Excluding yourself from the Settlement is opting out and stating to the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you opt out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.
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The Court will hold a final approval on May 6, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., Central Time, at the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. The hearing may also be held remotely via Zoom (Meeting ID: 94024024757; Password: 739301).
At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. The court will also decide how Class Counsel should be paid, and whether to award a Service Award Payment to the Class Representative. The Court will also consider any objections to the Settlement.
If you are a Class Member, you or your lawyer may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost (see Question 16).
The date and time of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check this website for updates.
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No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense if you wish, but you do not have to.
If you file an objection, you do not have to come to the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it; the Court will consider it as long as it was filed on time. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but you do not have to.
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If you do nothing, you will not receive a benefit from this Settlement. You will also give up the rights described in Question 8.
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This website and the Notice are a summary of the proposed Settlement. The full Settlement Agreement, and other related documents, are available on the Important Documents page. TempelDataSettlement.com.
If you have additional questions, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
Tempel Steel Security Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana CA 92799
(833) 417-4989
info@TempelDataSettlement.com
You can obtain copies of publicly filed documents by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court, 50 W. Washington Street Chicago, IL 60602.
Do not contact the Court or Clerk of Court regarding this Settlement.
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