What Is the T-Mobile Lawsuit?
The T-Mobile lawsuit is not one case but several separate legal cases against T-Mobile US, Inc. The largest is a consolidated federal data breach class action over a cyberattack that T-Mobile disclosed in August 2021.
That case is formally In re: T-Mobile Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, MDL No. 3019, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized it in December 2021 and assigned it to Judge Brian C. Wimes. The class settled for $350 million without any admission of liability by T-Mobile.
Other T-Mobile cases involve a promised price lock, an unfulfilled $200 gift card promotion, and AT&T's challenge to the Easy Switch tool. Each has its own court, claims, and status, and the comparison section below separates them.
“These putative class actions present common factual questions concerning an alleged data security breach of T-Mobile's systems that was discovered in August 2021 and allegedly compromised the personal information of approximately 54 million current, former, and prospective customers of T-Mobile. Common factual questions will include: T-Mobile's data security practices and whether those practices met industry standards; how the malfeasants obtained access to T-Mobile's system; the extent of the personal information affected by the breach; when T-Mobile knew or should have known of the breach; and T-Mobile's investigation into the breach.”
Source: U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, In re: T-Mobile Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, MDL No. 3019, Transfer Order, Document 98 (December 3, 2021)
Why Are People Filing T-Mobile Lawsuits?
People are filing T-Mobile lawsuits because customers, state regulators, and rival carriers each allege a different wrong.
Data breach plaintiffs allege that T-Mobile's security practices failed to protect personal data that an intruder took in 2021. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation framed the central questions as whether those practices met industry standards and when T-Mobile knew of the breach.
Price lock plaintiffs allege that T-Mobile broke a 2017 promise that certain plan prices would never change. A gift card plaintiff alleges that T-Mobile advertised a $200 per line promotion and then refused to honor it. Both are allegations, and the sources reviewed for this page report no ruling on the merits in either case.
AT&T sued in November 2025, alleging that T-Mobile's Easy Switch tool accessed AT&T's password-protected systems without permission. Washington's attorney general sued in January 2025, alleging that T-Mobile failed to secure customer data and to notify customers properly.
What Injuries Are Included in the T-Mobile Lawsuit?
The T-Mobile lawsuit includes four categories of alleged injuries, each tied to a different case. Each category is defined in plain language below, followed by what the plaintiffs allege.
Exposure of Personal Data
Exposure of personal data is the unauthorized access to, or theft of, identifying information such as names, addresses, birth dates, or Social Security numbers.
The 2021 data breach class alleges that an intruder took personal data belonging to current, former, and prospective T-Mobile customers. The court certified a settlement class of approximately 76.6 million U.S. residents whom T-Mobile identified as affected. The Panel's December 2021 order described approximately 54 million people, so the settlement class is larger than the early estimate.
According to CyberScoop's report on the FCC consent decree, the stolen data included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and driver's license numbers. A separate incident in January 2023 involved an API that exposed account data for approximately 37 million current customers, according to T-Mobile's SEC filing. T-Mobile states that consumer class actions and regulatory inquiries followed that incident.
Inadequate Breach Notices
A breach notice claim alleges that a company did not tell affected people about a data breach in the manner, or with the content, that state law requires.
Washington's attorney general alleges that T-Mobile's customer notices fell short of state law. A King County judge ruled in July 2026 that text messages containing a link did not satisfy the state's substitute notice rules. The ruling also found that the texts failed to say that Social Security numbers were exposed. The full procedural record for that case appears in the case status section above.
Price Lock Rate Increases
A price lock claim alleges that a company raised a customer's rate even though it advertised that the rate would not change.
The Oddo plaintiffs allege that T-Mobile's January 2017 "Un-contract" announcement promised T-Mobile ONE customers they would keep their price until they chose to change it. The complaint alleges that T-Mobile moved legacy plan customers to more expensive plans in May 2024 without their consent. The plans named in the complaint are T-Mobile ONE, Simple Choice, Magenta, Magenta Max, Magenta 55+, Magenta Amplified, and Magenta Military.
According to Scripps News, one plaintiff reported a $5 per line increase and another reported a rise from $100 to $120 per month. ClassAction.org reports that T-Mobile's terms contain an arbitration clause and a class action waiver, which shapes how these claims can proceed.
Unfulfilled Gift Card Promotion
A false advertising claim alleges that a seller promoted a deal it did not honor after customers made purchases in reliance on it.
Purya Ghrabeti alleges that a T-Mobile store representative confirmed a $200 gift card per new line promotion, and that T-Mobile later disclaimed any such promotion. The complaint seeks restitution, equitable relief, and injunctive relief for a proposed class of California consumers.
Newsweek reports that Ghrabeti bought two lines in June 2024 expecting $400 in gift cards. Newsweek also reports that a T-Mobile supervisor told him on September 10, 2024 that the promotion did not exist. The complaint pleads a violation of California's Unfair Competition Law and cites California's false advertising statute.
Who Qualifies for the T-Mobile Lawsuit?
You may qualify if:
- You were among the approximately 76.6 million U.S. residents whom T-Mobile identified as having information compromised in the August 2021 data breach
- You submitted a valid claim form by the January 23, 2023 deadline, which was required for the cash payment options
- You were a California resident on August 1, 2021, which placed you in the California settlement subclass with its own payment option
- You were in the settlement class but did not file a claim, in which case the settlement website says you can still enroll in Identity Defense monitoring or Restoration Services
You may not qualify if:
- T-Mobile, its officers and directors, or the presiding judge and their immediate families, who are excluded from the settlement class
- Anyone who timely and validly opted out of the settlement, since exclusion forfeited the settlement benefits
- Anyone who had already filed or served an arbitration demand against T-Mobile over the breach before the preliminary approval order, who was carved out of the class definition
- Anyone who missed the claim deadline and wants a cash payment, since new claims are no longer accepted
This summary describes who the 2021 data breach settlement historically covered, not an open claims window. Price lock, gift card, and Easy Switch matters have different parties and no claims process. Only a qualified attorney or the settlement administrator reviewing your own records can confirm your situation.
What Is the Current Status of the T-Mobile Data Breach Lawsuit?
The current status of the T-Mobile data breach lawsuit is a final, paid settlement in MDL 3019, alongside a separate Washington attorney general case that continues.
T-Mobile's SEC filings state that all appeals are resolved and the settlement is now final. The settlement website states that all court proceedings are complete and that a residual distribution is expected later in 2026. The other T-Mobile cases sit at different stages and are compared in a later section.
In re: T-Mobile Customer Data Security Breach Litigation
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized the federal data breach class actions in Missouri on December 3, 2021, and assigned them to Judge Brian C. Wimes. The parties signed a settlement agreement on July 22, 2022, after mediation supervised by retired Magistrate Judge Diane M. Welsh. The court granted preliminary approval on July 26, 2022 and final approval on June 29, 2023.
| Court | U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Western Division |
| MDL Docket | MDL No. 3019 |
| Master Case Number | 4:21-MD-03019-BCW |
| Judge | Brian C. Wimes |
| Defendants | T-Mobile US, Inc. and T-Mobile USA, Inc. |
| Class Counsel | Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP, Keller Rohrback L.L.P., and Hausfeld LLP |
| Settlement Administrator | Kroll Settlement Administration LLC |
| Final Approval | June 29, 2023 |
| Claims Deadline | January 23, 2023 (passed) |
Objectors appealed the approval in July and August 2023. On July 29, 2024, the Eighth Circuit affirmed approval of the settlement. It reversed the $78.75 million attorney fee award as unreasonable and sent that question back to the district court. On January 16, 2025, the district court granted a revised fee request of $45,771,790.40, and settlement payments began in May 2025.
Washington Attorney General v. T-Mobile
Washington's attorney general sued T-Mobile in King County Superior Court on January 6, 2025. The complaint alleges that T-Mobile failed to secure the data of more than 2 million Washingtonians. It also alleges that T-Mobile misrepresented its data protection priorities and downplayed the August 2021 breach in its notices. On July 17, 2026, Judge Jason Holloway ruled that T-Mobile violated Washington's data breach notification law 722,060 times, covering 361,030 Washington customers.
| Court | King County Superior Court, Washington |
| Judge | Jason Holloway |
| Plaintiff | State of Washington, through the Attorney General |
| Filed | January 6, 2025 |
| Ruling | July 17, 2026, text message notices did not satisfy the notification law |
| Violations Found | 722,060, for 361,030 Washington customers |
| Maximum Penalty | $7,500 per violation, according to news reports |
No penalty amount had been reported as of this writing. T-Mobile asked the judge to reconsider, the attorney general opposed that request, and Law360 reported that the judge said he will not reconsider the finding.
How Much Is the T-Mobile Lawsuit Settlement Payout Per Person?
The T-Mobile lawsuit settlement payout per person depended on the claim chosen, from a flat alternative payment to documented losses up to $25,000. All payments came from a fixed $350 million fund.
These figures come from the published settlement terms and press reports, not a guarantee of any individual payment. The fund was fixed, so amounts could be adjusted pro rata, and only the settlement administrator can confirm an individual payment.
Top Class Actions' summary of the terms lists a $25 alternative cash payment for class members and a $100 option for people who lived in California on August 1, 2021.
The same summary lists reimbursement of up to $25,000 for documented out-of-pocket losses, plus two years of identity protection services for those who claimed them.
CNET reported in July 2025 that some recipients posted payments between $56 and $375 online. Those posts are anecdotes, not official figures.
The $350 million fund also covered administration costs, service awards, and attorneys' fees. T-Mobile separately spent $150 million on data security in 2022 and 2023, and that money did not go to class members.
No payout exists for the price lock, gift card, or Easy Switch cases, because none has produced a settlement in the sources reviewed.
T-Mobile Lawsuit Updates
Here are the latest T-Mobile lawsuit updates, covering new court filings, rulings, and case-count reports as they're confirmed. As of October 2026, MDL 3019, the federal T-Mobile data breach litigation reached a settlement, described in the timeline below. See the full timeline below for every confirmed development since the litigation began.
Full T-Mobile Lawsuit Timeline
Verizon and T-Mobile End Their Advertising Lawsuits
Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile filed a stipulation of dismissal on Friday, September 11, 2026, in Manhattan federal court, ending Verizon's lawsuit and T-Mobile's countersuit over competing ad claims. Reports describe settlement talks that included a possible framework for resolving future advertising disputes, and no financial terms were disclosed.
Washington Judge Rules T-Mobile Text Notices Violated State Law
King County Superior Court Judge Jason Holloway ruled on July 17, 2026 that T-Mobile violated Washington's data breach notification law 722,060 times. The judge held that text messages with a link did not meet the substitute notice requirements and omitted that Social Security numbers were exposed.
Gift Card Class Action Draws National Coverage
Top Class Actions published its report on the Ghrabeti v. T-Mobile USA complaint on March 6, 2026, alleging that T-Mobile failed to honor a $200 per line gift card promotion. The sources reviewed report no ruling or settlement in the gift card case.
Verizon Sues T-Mobile Over Savings Claims
Verizon sued T-Mobile in federal court in Manhattan in February 2026, alleging that T-Mobile's advertising overstated customer savings. Judge Lewis Kaplan later issued a preliminary injunction against T-Mobile's Save Over $1,000 campaign, and T-Mobile countersued over Verizon's own ads.
Court Cancels the Easy Switch Injunction Hearing
The Texas federal court canceled the January 12, 2026 preliminary injunction hearing in AT&T Services Inc. v. T-Mobile US Inc. after the parties filed a joint stipulation about the restraining order. The sources reviewed do not report a final ruling in the Easy Switch case.
Judge Scholer Blocks Part of T-Mobile's Easy Switch Tool
Judge Karen Gren Scholer granted AT&T a temporary restraining order on December 18, 2025. The order bars T-Mobile from using the original Easy Switch feature, and any substantially similar version, to access AT&T's protected computer systems without court permission.
AT&T Sues T-Mobile Over Easy Switch
AT&T filed suit against T-Mobile in Texas federal court on November 30, 2025. AT&T alleges that Easy Switch, a tool inside the T-Life app, uses AT&T's password-protected software without permission and scrapes customer data.
Gift Card Complaint Appears on a Federal Docket
The Ghrabeti class action complaint over the $200 gift card promotion was filed on November 12, 2025 on federal docket 5:25-cv-03031, although it is captioned in Riverside County Superior Court. That pattern indicates the case reached federal court by removal.
Data Breach Settlement Payments Begin
Kroll Settlement Administration began distributing payments in the $350 million T-Mobile data breach settlement in May 2025, according to class counsel Keller Rohrback. Some recipients reported receiving funds through a T-Mobile Data Breach Settlement or Kroll Settlement Payouts deposit in June 2025.
Court Approves Reduced Attorney Fees
Judge Brian C. Wimes granted class counsel's revised fee motion on January 16, 2025, awarding $45,771,790.40 in fees in MDL 3019. Class counsel had filed the revised request on September 10, 2024, after the Eighth Circuit rejected the original $78.75 million award.
Washington Attorney General Sues T-Mobile
Washington's attorney general filed suit against T-Mobile in King County Superior Court on January 6, 2025. The complaint alleges that T-Mobile left known security vulnerabilities unaddressed and downplayed the breach in its notices to more than 2 million Washington residents.
FCC Announces $31.5 Million T-Mobile Data Security Settlement
The Federal Communications Commission announced a $31.5 million settlement with T-Mobile on September 30, 2024, resolving investigations into data breaches in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Half of the amount is a civil penalty, and the other half funds a two-year consent decree of mandatory security improvements.
Eighth Circuit Affirms the Settlement and Reverses the Fee Award
The Eighth Circuit issued its opinion on July 29, 2024 in the appeal of MDL 3019. The court affirmed approval of the $350 million settlement, reversed the $78.75 million attorney fee award as unreasonable, and remanded the fee question to the district court.
Customers File the Oddo Price Lock Class Action
Christopher Oddo, Harry Hyaduck Sr., Larry Kahhan, and Gerald Dwyer filed Oddo v. T-Mobile USA Inc. in the District of New Jersey on July 12, 2024, as case 2:24-cv-07719. The complaint alleges that T-Mobile raised rates in May 2024 on plans it had promised would not change.
Court Grants Final Approval of the $350 Million Settlement
Judge Brian C. Wimes granted final approval of the T-Mobile data breach class settlement on June 29, 2023. The order also awarded attorneys' fees, costs, and service awards, and objectors appealed in July and August 2023.
Claims Deadline Passes in the Data Breach Settlement
The deadline to submit a claim form in the T-Mobile data breach settlement was January 23, 2023, according to the settlement summary published by Top Class Actions. The settlement website states that the initial distribution has concluded.
T-Mobile Identifies a Second Incident Involving an API
T-Mobile identified on January 5, 2023 that an unauthorized party was obtaining customer data through a single API, affecting approximately 37 million current accounts. T-Mobile's SEC filing states that consumer class actions and regulatory inquiries followed.
Court Preliminarily Approves the Settlement
The Western District of Missouri granted preliminary approval of the data breach settlement on July 26, 2022, four days after the parties signed the agreement. The order certified a settlement class of approximately 76.6 million U.S. residents for settlement purposes only and appointed Kroll as administrator.
Judicial Panel Centralizes the Data Breach Cases in Missouri
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation signed its transfer order on December 3, 2021, which established MDL No. 3019. The Panel centralized five actions pending in four districts, noted 39 related actions, and assigned the litigation to Judge Brian C. Wimes.
T-Mobile Announces the August 2021 Data Breach
T-Mobile announced the data breach on August 16, 2021, after becoming aware of unauthorized access on August 12. T-Mobile's SEC filing states that the intruder first accessed its systems around March 18, 2021 and took customer data beginning around August 3, 2021.
How to File a T-Mobile Lawsuit
To file a T-Mobile lawsuit, start with the 5 steps below.
- Identify which T-Mobile case applies to you: The data breach settlement, price lock case, gift card case, and Washington case involve different groups. Being in one does not place you in another.
- Check your status with the official administrator: Use the settlement website named in your notice, t-mobilesettlement.com, or call 1-833-512-2314, and ask about an unreceived payment or a claim question.
- Confirm the claims deadline has passed: The claims deadline for the data breach settlement passed years ago, so new cash claims are no longer accepted.
- Enroll in identity monitoring if you were in the class: The settlement website says class members can still enroll in Identity Defense monitoring or use Restoration Services after identity theft, even without a claim.
- Consult an attorney about any other T-Mobile dispute: T-Mobile's terms contain an arbitration clause and class action waiver, so an attorney can explain whether a billing or promotion dispute belongs in court or arbitration.
T-Mobile Lawsuit is no longer accepting new claims. The claims deadline for the 2021 data breach settlement passed in 2023, and the settlement is final. The other T-Mobile cases are pending lawsuits or regulatory matters, not open claims programs.
What Have Regulators Found About T-Mobile's Data Security?
Regulators have found that T-Mobile's data security fell short in two separate proceedings, although the class settlement itself contains no admission of liability. The Federal Communications Commission announced a $31.5 million settlement with T-Mobile on September 30, 2024, covering breaches in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
CyberScoop reports that half of the amount is a civil penalty and half funds a consent decree. The decree requires phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, network segmentation, data minimization and deletion procedures, third-party security audits, and an empowered chief information security officer. A T-Mobile spokesperson told CyberScoop that the decree resolves incidents that occurred years ago and were immediately addressed.
The second proceeding is the Washington attorney general's case, where a state judge found that T-Mobile's text message breach notices violated state law. Its dates and numbers appear in the case status section above.
How Does the T-Mobile Data Breach Lawsuit Differ From the Gift Card, Price Lock and Easy Switch Cases?
The T-Mobile data breach lawsuit differs from the gift card, price lock, and Easy Switch cases in court, parties, claims, and status. Being part of one case does not make you part of another, and similar names in search results do not establish eligibility.
| Case | What It's About | Court / Agency | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data breach MDL 3019 (this page's main case) | August 2021 cyberattack and customer data exposure | U.S. District Court, W.D. Missouri | Settled and final, payments began May 2025 |
| Washington Attorney General v. T-Mobile | Data security and breach notification under state law | King County Superior Court | Notice violations found July 17, 2026, penalty not reported |
| Oddo v. T-Mobile USA Inc., 2:24-cv-07719 | Rate increases on plans promised as price-locked | U.S. District Court, D. New Jersey | Pending, no settlement found in sources reviewed |
| Ghrabeti v. T-Mobile USA Inc., 5:25-cv-03031 | $200 per line gift card promotion not honored | Central District of California docket | Pending, no ruling found in sources reviewed |
| AT&T Services Inc. v. T-Mobile US Inc., 3:25-cv-03279 | Easy Switch tool accessing AT&T systems | Texas federal court, Judge Scholer | Restraining order December 18, 2025, no final ruling found |
| Verizon v. T-Mobile and T-Mobile countersuit | Competing advertising and savings claims | U.S. District Court, Manhattan | Dismissed by stipulation, September 2026 |
| Dale et al. v. Deutsche Telekom AG et al., 1:22-cv-03189 | Antitrust claims over the Sprint merger | U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois | Pending, per T-Mobile's SEC filing |
| FCC location data forfeiture appeal | Customer privacy penalties from 2020 notices | D.C. Circuit | Rehearing denied January 23, 2026, Supreme Court petition planned |
The Easy Switch case is a dispute between competitors, not a consumer class action. AT&T alleges that Easy Switch, a feature in the T-Life app, uses AT&T's password-protected software without permission and pulls over 100 data fields per customer. T-Mobile responds that the tool only lets customers access their own data and that AT&T is trying to stifle consumer choice.
Verizon's advertising case was also a dispute between competitors. The FCC location data penalty case traces to notices issued in February 2020, so it predates the 2021 breach.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the T-Mobile lawsuit about?
The T-Mobile lawsuit is a cluster of separate cases against T-Mobile US, Inc., and the largest is the federal data breach class action over the August 2021 cyberattack. The other cases involve a price lock promise, a $200 gift card promotion, and AT&T's Easy Switch complaint.
Is there a T-Mobile class action lawsuit?
Yes. The T-Mobile data breach class action is MDL No. 3019 in the Western District of Missouri, and it settled for $350 million. The Oddo price lock case and the Ghrabeti gift card case are also proposed class actions that remain pending in the sources reviewed.
Did T-Mobile settle the data breach lawsuit?
Yes. T-Mobile settled the data breach class action for $350 million, the court granted final approval on June 29, 2023, and the Eighth Circuit affirmed approval on July 29, 2024. T-Mobile's SEC filings state that the settlement is final.
Can I still file a claim in the T-Mobile settlement?
No. The claims deadline for the T-Mobile data breach settlement was January 23, 2023, so new claims are no longer accepted. Class members can still enroll in Identity Defense monitoring, and the settlement website says a residual distribution is expected later in 2026.
Is there a T-Mobile $200 gift card lawsuit?
Yes. A T-Mobile $200 gift card lawsuit exists in Ghrabeti v. T-Mobile USA Inc., which alleges that T-Mobile advertised $200 per line gift cards and then refused to honor them. The proposed class covers California consumers, and the sources reviewed report no ruling or settlement.
Is there a T-Mobile price lock lawsuit?
Yes. The T-Mobile price lock lawsuit is Oddo v. T-Mobile USA Inc., filed in the District of New Jersey on July 12, 2024. It alleges that T-Mobile raised rates in May 2024 on plans it promised would not change, and no settlement was found in the sources reviewed.
What was the T-Mobile Easy Switch lawsuit ruling?
The T-Mobile Easy Switch lawsuit ruling so far is a temporary restraining order that Judge Karen Gren Scholer issued on December 18, 2025. It blocks the original Easy Switch feature, and any substantially similar version, from accessing AT&T's protected systems without court permission.
Is the T-Mobile data breach lawsuit the same as the other T-Mobile lawsuits?
No. The T-Mobile data breach lawsuit differs from the gift card, price lock, and Easy Switch cases because each has a different court, plaintiff group, and claim. The Washington attorney general's case concerns the same 2021 breach but is a separate state action, not part of the class settlement.