1. Why was a notice issued?
2. What is this lawsuit about?
3. What is a class action?
4. Why is there a settlement?
5. Who is included in the Settlement?
6. Are there exceptions to being included?
7. What does the Settlement provide?
8. What claims am I releasing if I stay in the Settlement Class?
9. How do I submit a claim for a Settlement benefit?
10. Are there any important Settlement payment deadlines?
11. When will the Settlement benefits be issued?
12. Do I have a lawyer in the case?
13. Should I get my own lawyer?
14. How will Class Counsel be paid?
15. How do I opt out of the Settlement?
16. How do I tell the Court if I like or do not like the Settlement?
17. What is the difference between objecting and opting out?
18. When is the Court’s Final Approval Hearing?
19. Do I have to come to the Final Approval Hearing?
20. What happens if I do nothing at all?
21. How do I get more information?
The Circuit Court of Sangamon County, Illinois, authorized a notice. You have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit, and about all of your options, before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. The Notice explains the lawsuit, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.
The lawsuit is called Corrine Crabtree v. Alpha Baking Co., Inc., Case No. 2025CH000063. It is pending in the Circuit Court of Sangamon County, Illinois. The people that filed this lawsuit are called the “Plaintiffs” (or “Class Representatives”) and the company they sued, Alpha Baking Co., Inc., is called the “Defendant.”
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This lawsuit alleges that during the January 2025 targeted cyberattack on Alpha Baking's computer systems, certain files that contained Private Information were accessed. These files may have contained personal information such as names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account information, and protected health information.
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In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals are called the “Plaintiffs” or “Class Representatives.” Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Class” or “Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Class Members, except for those who opt out from the Settlement. In this proposed Settlement, the Class Representatives are Corrine Crabtree; Joshua Scheun; Carl Johnson; Michael Plasy; Tyler Grene Chance; James Baum; Kene Brown; and Ann Cataldo. Everyone included in this Action are the Settlement Class members.
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The Court did not decide whether the Plaintiffs or the Defendant are right. Both sides have agreed to a settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and to allow the Settlement Class Members to receive benefits from the Settlement. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Settlement Class members.
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The Court has defined the Settlement Class this way: “All living individuals who were sent notice by the Defendant that their Private Information was impacted in the Data Incident.”
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Yes. Excluded from the Settlement Class are: (a) all persons who are directors and officers of Defendant; (b) governmental entities; and (c) the Judge assigned to the Action, that Judge’s immediate family, and Court staff.
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All Settlement Class members may claim Credit Monitoring and one of two Cash Payment options. The benefits are explained in more detail below.
Credit Monitoring. All Settlement Class members are eligible to enroll in two years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete. This comprehensive service comes with $1 million of financial fraud insurance, and includes monitoring for:
If anything suspicious happens, you will be able to talk to a fraud resolution agent to help fix any problems.
Cash Payments. Settlement Class members who have documented losses may claim Cash Payment A – Documented Losses. Alternatively, you may claim a $75.00 Cash Payment B – Alternate Cash payment.
Cash Payment A – Documented Losses. If you incurred actual, documented out-of-pocket losses due to the Data Incident, you can get back up to $4,000.00. The losses must have occurred between January 23, 2025, and June 22, 2026. This benefit covers out-of-pocket expenses like:
You need to send proof, like receipts, to show how much you spent or lost. Your personal certifications, declarations, or affidavits do not constitute reasonable documentation to make a valid claim, but you may include that to provide clarification, context, or support for other submitted reasonable documentation showing that your expenses were because of the Data Incident.
You cannot claim a payment for expenses that have already been reimbursed by a third party.
OR
Cash Payment B – Alternate Cash. Instead of Cash Payment A, you may claim a one-time $75.00 cash payment. You do not have to provide any proof or explanation to claim this payment.
There is an aggregate cap of $1,050,000.00 on these benefits. This means that if the total value of benefits claimed is over $1,050,000.00, everyone’s payments will be reduced pro rata so that they add up to $1,050,000.00.
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If you stay in the Settlement Class, you won’t be able to be part of any other lawsuit against Alpha Baking about the issues that this Settlement covers. The “Releases” section of the Settlement Agreement (Section XI) describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Settlement Class. The Settlement Agreement is available here.
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The fastest way to submit your Claim Form is online here. If you prefer, you can download a printable Claim Form here mail it to the Settlement Administrator at:
Alpha Baking Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
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If you are submitting a Claim Form online here, you must do so by June 22, 2026.If you are downloading a Claim Form here and sending by U.S. mail, the completed and signed Claim Form, including supporting documentation, must be postmarked no later than June 22, 2026.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on July 21, 2026(see FAQ 18). If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. We do not know if appeals will be filed, or how long it will take to resolve them if they are filed.
Settlement payments will be distributed if the Court grants final approval, and after any appeals are resolved. Please be patient.
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Yes, the Court has appointed attorneys Jeff Ostrow of Kopelowitz Ostrow P.A and Gary Klinger of Milberg PLLC, to represent you and other Settlement Class members (“Class Counsel”).
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You will not be charged for Class Counsel’s services. If you want your own lawyer, you may hire one at your expense.
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Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve up to $350,000.00 as reasonable attorneys' fees and costs of litigation. This amount will be paid by Alpha Baking.
Class Counsel will also ask for Service Award payments of $1,250.00 for each of the Class Representatives. Service Award payments will also be paid by Alpha Baking.
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If you do not want to be part of the Settlement, you must formally exclude yourself from the Settlement. This is called an Opt-Out Request. If you opt-out, you are telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. You will not be eligible to receive any Settlement benefits if you opt-out. However, you will keep any rights you may have to sue Alpha Baking on your own about the legal issues in this case. The deadline to opt-out from the Settlement is June 22, 2026.
To be valid, your Opt-Out Request must have the following information:
the name of the Litigation: Corrine Crabtree v. Alpha Baking Co., Inc., Case No. 2025CH000063, pending in the Circuit Court of Sangamon County, Illinois;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
personal signature; and
the words “Opt-Out Request” or a clear and similar statement that you do not want to participate in the Settlement.
You may only exclude yourself—not any other person.
Mail your Opt-Out Request to the Settlement Administrator at:
Alpha Baking Data Incident Settlement
ATTN: Exclusion Request
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958
Your Opt-Our Request must be submitted or postmarked by June 22, 2026.
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If you are a Settlement Class Member and do not like part or all of the Settlement, you can object to it. Objecting means telling the Court your reasons for why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement. The Court will consider your views.
You may not object if you have opted-out from the Settlement (see FAQ 15)
You must provide the following information for the Court to consider your objection:
the name of the Litigation: Corrine Crabtree v. Alpha Baking Co., Inc., Case No. 2025CH000063, pending in the Circuit Court of Sangamon County, Illinois;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if any);
all grounds for the objection, accompanied by any legal support for the objection known to the objector or objector’s counsel;
the number of times the objector has objected to a class action settlement within the five years preceding the date that the objector files the objection, the caption of each case in which the objector has made such objection, and a copy of any orders related to or ruling upon the objector’s prior objections that were issued by the trial and appellate courts in each listed case;
the identity of all counsel who represent the objector, including any former or current counsel who may be entitled to compensation for any reason related to the objection to the Settlement and/or Application for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Service Awards;
the number of times in which the objector’s counsel and/or counsel’s law firm have objected to a class action settlement within the five years preceding the date of the filed objection, the caption of each case in which counsel or the firm has made such objection and a copy of any orders related to or ruling upon counsel’s or the counsel’s law firm’s prior objections that were issued by the trial and appellate courts in each listed case in which the objector’s counsel and/or counsel’s law firm have objected to a class action settlement within the preceding five years;
the identity of all counsel (if any) representing the objector, and whether they will appear at the Final Approval Hearing;
a list of all persons who will be called to testify at the Final Approval Hearing in support of the objection (if any);
a statement confirming whether the objector intends to personally appear and/or testify at the Final Approval Hearing; and
your signature (if you have hired your own lawyer, their signature is not sufficient).
For your objection to be valid, it must meet each of these requirements.
To be considered by the Court, you must file your complete objection with the Clerk of Court by June 22, 2026. You must also send a copy of the objection by U.S. Mail to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and Defendant’s Counsel.
Clerk of the Court | Settlement Administrator |
Clerk of the Court | Alpha Baking Data Incident Settlement |
Class Counsel | Counsel for Defendants |
Jeff Ostrow | Christopher Dodrill |
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Objecting is telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not opt-out from the Settlement. Opting out from the Settlement is stating to the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you opt-out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on July 21, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time, in the Circuit Court of Sangamon County, Illinois, via Zoom. Meeting ID: 836 6121 1493, Passcode: 123402.
At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. The Court will also decide Class Counsel’s request for an attorneys’ fees and costs award and the request for a Service Award to the Class Representatives. The Court will also consider any timely objections to the Settlement.
If you are a Settlement Class Member, you or your lawyer may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost (see FAQ 16).
The date and time of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check this website for updates.
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No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense if you wish, but you do not have to.
If you file an objection, you do not have to come to the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it; the Court will consider it as long as it was filed on time. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but you do not have to.
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If you do nothing, you will not receive a benefit from this Settlement. You will also give up the rights described in FAQ 8.
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This website and the Notice are a summary of the proposed Settlement. The full Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available on the Important Documents page.
You can obtain copies of publicly filed documents by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court.
Do not contact the Court or Clerk of Court regarding this Settlement.
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