A Missouri bankruptcy court administrator on Wednesday signed off on a deal that gives millions of victims of a 2023 data breach at 23andMe a cut of a $46.8 million settlement fund. About 7 million customers of the genetics testing company had their data stolen by hackers starting in April 2023, and many had their information posted on the dark web. Victims will be allotted $32.5 million while more than $14 million of the fund is being used to pay Kroll, the settlement and claims administrator in the case. The plaintiffs had sought $48 billion in damages, but the administrator determined that the lower amount should be levied given that the district court found a $30 million prepetition settlement would be “reasonable in light of the Company’s dire financial condition,” according to court documents. Even before the breach, 23andMe was in poor financial health, having seemingly already tapped the market of those interested in using its at-home, saliva-based DNA tests. The plan administrator also decided on the smaller settlement because litigating the larger amount would “expose the estates to protracted, high-stakes litigation lasting months, if not years, requiring extensive discovery and the expenditure of millions of dollars in professional fees and related costs — resources that would be far better preserved for the benefit of stakeholders,” according to court documents. Nearly 256,000 claims have been resolved, court documents say. Class members will recoup damages depending on the severity of the individual harms caused by the breach with awards of up to $10,000 for the most serious claims and as little as $50 for minor ones. After announcing the hack in October 2023, the company said the malicious actor obtained DNA Relatives profiles for about 5.5 million consumers. Data for another 14.1 million customers who used a product called Family Tree also was accessed. In March 2025, 23andMe, now named Chrome Holding Co., filed for bankruptcy and liquidated most of its assets. Anne Wojcicki, who founded the beleaguered firm, bought it back amid controversy.
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