Audi Data Breach – Quebec Class Action Settlement

Date of Initial Application: June 14, 2021

QUEBEC AUDI PRIVACY CLASS ACTION

AUTHORIZATION AND PROPOSED SETTLEMENT NOTICE

Important Legal Notice of a Class Action Authorization and Proposed Settlement

Detailed information, the Long Form (detailed) version of this notice, and updates are available on the Settlement Website at the following address: https://AudiPrivacySettlementQC.ca/.

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If you were a former, current, or prospective Audi Canada customer before June 2021, and/or if you received a notice from Audi Canada in or around June 2021 informing you that your personal information may have been compromised in a data incident, your rights may be affected by an authorized class action and proposed settlement.

(Sciscente v. Audi Canada Inc., 500-06-001152-210)

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You do not have to do anything and you do not have to pay anything at all in order to participate in the Class Action and/or the proposed Settlement. 

On August 1, 2022, the Superior Court of Quebec authorized the bringing of the class action against Audi Canada Inc. (“Audi”) further to an alleged data breach of personal information which occurred at some point between August 2019 and May 2021 (the “Class Action”).

Although Audi denies any wrongdoing or liability, a proposed settlement was reached with the Plaintiff for the resolution of all claims pertaining to the Class Action (the “Settlement”), subject to approval of the Superior Court of Quebec (the “Court”). To fully settle and release the Class Action and all claims related to the Incident, Audi has agreed to pay an amount of CAD $240,000 into a settlement fund, and agreed to also pay for all costs and expenses required to implement the Settlement.

The proposed Settlement provides for the following benefits for the Settlement Class Members (see below) in exchange for a full release of claims against Audi and other related entities:

1. First, the reimbursement of out-of-pocket losses, costs, and/or unreimbursed expenses flowing from the Incident and/or from receipt of the Audi notice about the Incident, up to a maximum of CAD $5,000 per claimant;
2. Second, and if funds remain, a cash payment of up to CAD $200 per claimant.

If the total dollar amount of the claims under the proposed Settlement exceeds the Settlement fund, the value of the claims to be paid to each beneficiary will be proportionally reduced.

You are included in the class action if you reside in Quebec and (a) your personal or financial information held by Audi was compromised in a data breach (data incident) which occurred on or before March 10, 2021, or (ii) you received an email or letter from Audi, dated on or about June 11, 2021, informing you of such a data breach.

Audi’s records indicate that you are captured by the Class Action and affected by this notice.

If you do nothing you will be bound by this Class Action and the proposed Settlement if it is approved by the Court. You may Opt-Out of the Class Action (and therefore the Settlement) by April 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. This is the only opportunity for class members to opt out (exclude themselves).

Please visit the Settlement Website at https://AudiPrivacySettlementQC.ca/ or contact the Settlement Administrators at the address below for a full copy of the Settlement Agreement and to obtain more information about:

1. The benefits of the proposed Settlement;
2. The approval process of the Settlement before the Court and the hearing scheduled for that purpose;
3. How to attend hearing and/or make comments on the Settlement, as the case may be. You do not have to attend the hearing but you may do so if you wish;
4. How to formulate a claim if the Settlement is approved by the Court;
5. How to opt-out of the Class Action (and Settlement), if you so choose;
6. The legal fees for the lawyers advancing the Class Action. You will not be asked to pay anything at any time.

A hearing to consider the approval of the Settlement, the benefits for the Settlement Class Members and the approval of Class Counsel Fees will be heard on May 1, 2025 before the Superior Court of Quebec in Montreal, either in person in room 15.04, at 9:15 AM, or by virtual conferencing.

Another notice will be published and additional information will be provided if the Settlement is approved by the Court, including how and the deadline to file a claim under the Settlement.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on the status of the approval hearing or on how to opt out of the Class Action, comment or object to the proposed Settlement, or to view the Settlement Agreement and a list of other definitions that apply to this Notice, visit the Settlement Website at https://AudiPrivacySettlementQC.ca/, which will be periodically updated with information on the Settlement approval process and the Class Action.

The lawyers advancing the Class Action are Lex Group Inc. and can be reached at:

Mtre. David Assor

Lex Group Inc.

4101 Sherbrooke St. West

Westmount (Quebec) H3Z 1A7

Phone: 514 451-5500 (ext. 101)

Email: [email protected]

The Settlement Administrator is Concilia Services Inc. and can be reached at:

Concilia Services Inc.

1-5900 Andover Avenue

Montreal, Quebec, H4T 1H5

Phone: 1-888-770-6892

Email: [email protected]

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The communication of this notice has been approved by the Superior Court of Quebec.

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On August 1, 2022, the Superior Court of Quebec authorized a Quebec Data Breach Class Action against Audi Canada Inc. (hereinafter “Audi”) regarding the Data Breach which involved the theft of personal information belonging to Audi’s current customers, potential customers and/or past customers.  The authorization judgment is available on this page.

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Lex Group Inc. has launched a national class action against Audi Canada Inc. (hereinafter “Audi”) and Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. (hereinafter “Volkswagen”), regarding the Data Breach which involved the theft of personal information belonging to an estimated 3.3 million current customers, potential customers and/or past customers in North America.

It is alleged that Audi and Volkswagen exposed personal data obtained between 2014 and 2019 during a period lasting approximately 2 years, namely from August 2019 to May 2021. It was not until March 10, 2021, that Audi and Volkswagen apparently learned of the Data Breach. Affected people residing in Canada could be receiving an email or a letter from Audi and/or Volkswagen. If you receive such correspondence, please retain it.

The stolen personal information of the affected clients includes, without limitation:

• First and last name;
• Personal and/or professional mailing address;
• Email address;
• Phone number;
• Driver’s license number;
• Date of birth;
• Social security or social insurance number;
• Credit information;
• Account or loan numbers;
• Tax identification numbers; and
• Information about a vehicle purchased, leased or inquired about (such as the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), make, model, year, color, and trim packages).

Accordingly, if you have received an email or a letter from Audi and/or Volkswagen or if you have provided your personal and/or personal information to Audi and/or Volkswagen between 2014 and 2019, your information may have been stolen or compromised and you may be part of the proposed Class defined by the class action initiated by our office.

Should you be defined as a member of the class in this class action, you may be entitled to compensation should the Court authorize and grant the class action on the merits, or should a settlement be reached and approved by the Court.

If you wish to be kept informed and/or receive notification of major judgments rendered or notices in this case, please complete the form below.  Please note that providing your information in the form below creates no financial obligation for you and it does not create a lawyer/client relationship between yourself and Lex Group Inc. (or any of its attorneys).  You will not be charged any fees or costs for signing up to this class action since our firm is only paid on a contingency basis from the potential compensation recovered in this file, if the class action is successful by way of final judgment or settlement approved by the Court.

Please be advised that the group definition of the people to be included in this class action may be changed or modified in the future by Court decision or by way of amendment filed by our firm.  We will not inform you or other members of the public if and when the group definition is changed.  It is therefore your sole responsibility to ensure that your own personal rights and recourses are being protected at all times during the course of these proceedings.  You may therefore wish to seek independent legal counsel in order to determine whether it would be in your best interest to pursue independent litigation in this matter (or any other matter), and to determine if you can potentially be included in this case if a final judgment is rendered or if a settlement is reached and approved by the Court.

By signing up to this class action, you are merely asking our firm to include you in our list of potential members in this class action, but our firm is not agreeing to represent your personal interests.  If a final judgment is rendered in this case, or if a settlement is reached (and approved by the Court), an e-mail may be sent to you and the relevant information may be posted on this website.  The Court will determine the manner and extent of any future notifications to class members.

Be advised that the information you provide will be included in our list of potential class members for this case, which list may be shared with and disclosed to the Courts and/or other parties in this action (at our discretion).  Rest assured that any such disclosure will be done in such a manner as to protect your personal information and confidentiality from unauthorized use, disclosure or publication.

Finally, be advised that the above-description and summary of the case is being posted on this website for your convenience.  However, in case of conflict between the information on this website and the actual proceedings, documents, and/or judgments in the Court record of this case, the official Court record documents will prevail.  We have for your convenience posted on this webpage certain scanned copies of the several relevant documents from the Court record, including the initial application for authorization to institute a class action which describes the case in much more detail.  You should therefore consult these documents as well as consult this website periodically in order to be kept informed.