MarinHealth has agreed to a $3 million settlement to resolve claims related to its use of the Meta Pixel tracking tool on its website between 2019 and 2025. MarinHealth is the operator of Marin Health Medical Center and various outpatient clinics in Marin County and Sonoma County in California. Like many other healthcare providers, MarinHealth used Meta Pixel and other tracking tools on its website to collect visitor information.Meta Pixel, similar to other website tracking tools, gathers data from individuals who visit a website where the tool is installed. The tool collects information about website usage, including information that could be used to identify that individual. That information is then transmitted to Meta and can potentially be used to serve personalized ads elsewhere on the web. If Meta Pixel collects information from dropdown menus, button click data, and the pages an individual visits on a healthcare website, advertisements could be served related to a health condition the user has, believes they have, or has researched.The lawsuit against MarinHealth — *Doe, et al., v. Marin Health Medical Center* — was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California County of Marin alleging that between August 1, 2019, and May 27, 2025, Meta Pixel and other tracking tools were used on the MarinHealth website and collected and transmitted sensitive information to third parties without authorization or consent, resulting in an invasion of privacy. The lawsuit claims the plaintiffs and class members were injured as a result.MarinHealth denies the claims asserted against it in the litigation, denies all allegations of wrongdoing and liability, and denies all material allegations in the complaint filed on March 21, 2024. Due to the costs of protracted litigation and the uncertainty and risks of trial, all parties agreed to a settlement. Under the terms of the settlement, MarinHealth will establish a $3 million settlement fund, from which attorneys’ fees, class representative awards, and legal costs and expenses will be deducted. Attorneys’ fees will not exceed $1,000,000, expenses will not exceed $50,000, and service awards of $2,000 will be paid to each of the named plaintiffs. The remainder of the settlement will be used to cover cash payments to verified class members.The cash payments will be determined by the number of claims received. If 3% of class members submit a claim for a cash payment, each payment is likely to be $261. Should 10% of class members submit a claim, cash payments will be approximately $78. Any remaining funds after checks are issued and cashed or expired will be dispersed *cy pres.*MarinHealth has also agreed to remove Meta Pixel from its website and will not reinstall it without notice and consent from website users.The post [MarinHealth Pays $3 Million to Settle Class Action Meta Pixel Lawsuit](https://www.hipaajournal.com/marinhealth-meta-pixel-class-action-settlement/) appeared first on [The HIPAA Journal](https://www.hipaajournal.com).
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