Nissan class action: are you eligible for compensation of up to $2,500?

Carmaker Nissan has offered to pay $1.8 million to settle a class action lawsuit arising from a 2017 data breach. Affected customers could receive up to $2,500.

The proposal was negotiated after two lawsuits filed in 2018, in Ontario and Quebec, which alleged that Nissan was liable for damages resulting from a computer intrusion, during which an anonymous person claimed to have customer information and demanded a ransom to return the data.

The event occurred in December 2017, and Nissan Canada announced at the time that the data leak possibly involved the personal information of its customers, including their name, address, credit rating, vehicle model, loan amount and monthly payments.

At the time, the automaker said it did not know how many customers had been affected, but it had undertaken to contact 1.13 million people.

But several years later, none of the allegations have been proven in court. For its part, Nissan maintains that they are unfounded, but the company has nevertheless agreed to provide a maximum settlement fund of $1,820,000.

Under the proposed settlement, those affected could receive up to $2,500, but the amount will depend on the number of claims. After the first 728 claims, this amount will gradually decrease.

To qualify in Quebec, you must have had an active loan with Nissan between December 22, 2016, and January 12, 2017, or have received a letter from the company in January 2018 about the data leak.

Persons covered by the Regulations who have no documents or evidence, but who submit a form demonstrating that they are part of the targeted group, would be entitled to $35.

However, it is not yet possible to submit a claim, as the courts must first approve Nissan's proposal.

The Ontario Superior Court has already scheduled the hearing for April 24. In Quebec, the date has not yet been set.

After the fact, the courts may not approve the $1.8 million settlement, if they deem it too high or too low.