Hawaii joins multistate settlement over Labcorp data breach

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii is joining a multistate settlement stemming from a massive 2019 data breach involving Labcorp patient information.

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The state Office of Consumer Protection announced Monday that Labcorp reached a settlement with a coalition of 44 attorneys general over the breach at its debt collector, American Medical Collection Agency.

Officials said the breach potentially exposed personal information belonging to more than 27.5 million people nationwide, including 10.2 million Labcorp patients.

That included 17,347 Hawaiʻi residents.

“People in Hawaiʻi should feel confident their personal and health information is protected,” OCP Executive Director Mana Moriarty said. “This settlement makes clear that HIPAA-covered organizations can’t pass the buck to their vendor when it comes to HIPAA compliance.”

As part of the settlement, Labcorp will pay more than $2.2 million to participating states, with $17,628 going to Hawaiʻi.

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The agreement also requires Labcorp to strengthen its vendor management and information security practices, including expanded risk assessments, stricter cybersecurity requirements for debt collectors and the use of a third-party assessor.

The settlement follows a separate 2021 multistate agreement with AMCA after the company’s bankruptcy petition was dismissed.

Labcorp has also agreed to a $35 million settlement in a related class action lawsuit.

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