Nissan customers could be eligible for compensation soon. Here's why that's happening
Nissan customers in Canada may soon be eligible to file a claim in a proposed $1.82 million class action settlement resulting from a 2017 data breach.
The settlement was negotiated after two respective lawsuits filed in Ontario and Quebec in 2018 alleged that the manufacturer was liable for the breach.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Nissan denies the allegations, none of which have been tested in court. Instead, the parties opted to negotiate a settlement.
Here’s what you need to know.
The data breach
According to Nissan, the breach took place in December 2017.
The next month, customers were issued letters informing them of the breach and that their private data may have been exposed. According to lawyers representing the plaintiffs, that letter did not explain how or when exactly the breach occurred.
Personal information involved included names, addresses, credit scores, vehicle makes and models, vehicle identification numbers, loan amounts, and monthly payments.
At the time, Nissan said it contacted Canadian privacy regulators, law enforcement, and data security experts to help investigate the breach.
It also offered customers who may have been affected 12 months of credit monitoring services.
What’s next?
Before class members can claim part of the nearly $2 million settlement, it must first be approved by the courts.
Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has scheduled its approval hearing for April 24. A date has yet to be set for the hearing in Quebec.
Who in Ontario would be eligible for payment, if approved?
Unlike the Quebec lawsuit which solely targeted Nissan Canada Inc., the Ontario matter named Nissan Canada Inc., Nissan Canada Financial Services Inc., and Nissan North America, Inc.
If the settlement is approved, anyone who held active leases or loans with the three companies listed between Dec. 22, 2016 and Jan. 12, 2017 would be eligible for payment.
In that case, class members can apply to receive up to $2,500 each.
First, they will have to file a “documented claim,” proving their eligibility and demonstrating the damages, costs, or losses incurred.
If they lack the needed evidence to prove eligibility and damages, members would also have the option to file an “undocumented claim,” in which they could see $35 in reimbursement paid to them.
If approved, members can file claims on the websites of the law firms involved.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.