Willis-Knighton Medical Center agreed to settle a class action lawsuit, which was prompted by the use of tracking codes on its website.
Willis-Knighton Medical Center dealt with multiple lawsuits, which claimed that the health system permitted unauthorized transfers of personally identifiable, private data to third parties like Facebook and Google. The lawsuits were consolidated as The Jacqueline Horton, et al. v. Willis-Knighton Medical Center class action. It was filed in the 10th Judicial District Court for Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana.
Tracking systems, including pixels, are widely utilized on the web by many organizations, which include HIPAA-covered healthcare companies. The problem is that utilizing these tools allows the collection of sensitive information from site guests, including details classified as protected health information (PHI). That information could be given to third parties not authorized to get the data. One study revealed that over 99% of hospitals put these tools on their sites.
Willis-Knighton Medical Center rejects the allegation and especially denies that any health data from its webpage or patient site was sent to Facebook or Google. Nonetheless, to steer clear of the expense and difficulty of continuing litigation and the uncertain result of a trial, the medical center opted to negotiate the lawsuit.
Based on the terms of the settlement, class members can claim a privacy protection membership of CyEx Privacy Shield Pro for one year, and may likewise claim a cash payment. The actual sum of cash payments varies based on the subclass. People who opted for the “request an appointment” option could get a $25 cash payment, the Medtech settlement class members could receive a $15 cash payment, while InteliChart settlement class members are eligible to receive a $38 cash payment.
Willis-Knighton Medical Center has furthermore decided not to employ the digital monitoring codes on its webpage and patient website for two years since the time of the settlement’s final approval. The listing includes Google Ads, Google DoubleClick, TikTok, Amazon, Meta, The Trade Desk, and Pinterest.
The final day to object to and be exempt from the settlement deal is November 18, 2025. Individuals could submit their claims until December 18, 2025. The final approval hearing schedule is January 22, 2026.