Judge OKS settlement for hacked Ashley Madison users

ST. LOUIS — A federal judge on Friday approved an $11.2 million settlement between the marital infidelity website Ashley Madison and users who sued after hackers released personal information, including financial data and details of their sexual proclivities.

U.S. District Judge John Ross gave preliminary approval to a class action settlement that was initially announced last week by Toronto-based Ruby Corp., the parent company of Ashley Madison. Lawsuits from around the country were consolidated in the Eastern District of Missouri.

A final approval hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20.

Douglas Dowd, an attorney representing site users, called the settlement is “fair and reasonable.” Robert Atkins, lead attorney for Ruby Corp., declined comment.

The lawsuits were filed after hackers in July 2015 outed millions who used the website. The suits said Ashley Madison misled consumers about its security measures and safeguards.

The company denied wrongdoing but said it settled to “avoid the uncertainty, expense and inconvenience associated with continued litigation.”

Ashley Madison is marketed to people seeking extramarital relationships. At one time, it purported to have about 39 million members.

The case is unique in that many website users not only want to remain anonymous but registered using false names, said James Mcdonough III, an attorney for the users.

As a result, those eligible for the settlement won’t be contacted directly. Instead, they will reach out to those who could benefit via magazine and web ads.

Mcdonough said there is no estimate on how many will seek part of the settlement money, which could range from as little as $19 for those victimized by the hack to up to $2,000 for those who were victims of identity theft.