Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 1, also known as Skagit Regional Health, which manages Skagit Regional Hospital in Mount Vernon, Washington, has decided to resolve class action litigation associated with its use of Meta Pixel and other tracking tools on its website, which may have exposed patient data to third parties.
Skagit Regional Health, a HIPAA-covered entity, added tracking codes, including Meta Pixel on its webpage. These tools monitor user actions on web pages, for instance the pages clicked and time used on every page; nevertheless, they can get a selection of information that may be connected to individuals through numerous identifiers, which include IP addresses. The information obtained by these tools is normally given to the creators of these tools, and with regards to Meta Pixel, the information could be used to deliver ads.
On November 8, 2024, Dave Suther filed a legal action in Skagit County Superior Court in Washington. The lawsuit, Dave Suther v. Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 1, d/b/a Skagit Regional Hospital, alleges that Skagit Regional Health utilized tracking codes on the hospital web page, which obtained and sent protected health information (PHI) to Meta as well as other third parties without the website users’ awareness or permission. The suit included claims of unjust enrichment, negligence, negligence per se, invasion of privacy-breach of personal facts, invasion of privacy-attack upon seclusion, breach of implied contract breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of the Washington Privacy Act And The Washington Consumer Protection Act.
The defendant rejects any wrongdoing or liability and thinks it would win at summary judgment; nonetheless, after looking at the expenditures, time, and trouble of going on with the lawsuit and the uncertainty and challenges connected with any litigation, it decided to start settlement discussions. The parties have agreed to a settlement, which has gotten the court’s preliminary approval. According to terms of the settlement, Skagit Regional Health has decided to pay attorneys’ charges and expenses, settlement management expenditures, class representative awards, and a $20 cash payment per class member.
The class includes patients at Skagit Regional Hospital who went to, registered for, logged in, or utilized its patient site from May 1, 2021 to September 5, 2025. Persons wanting to exempt themselves from or object to the settlement should do so until November 3, 2025. Cash payment claims must be filed on or before November 3, 2025. The final fairness hearing schedule is November 21, 2025. More data regarding the settlement is accessible on https://www.sutherpixelsettlement.com/