Frequently Asked Questions

A Court authorized this Settlement Website because you have a right to know about the proposed Settlement of this class action and about all of your options before the Court decides whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. This Settlement Website explains the Litigation, your legal rights, what benefits are available, and who can receive them.

The Litigation is called Ngozi Emerokwam, et al. v. 8am LLC d/b/a Docketwise, Case No. 2026-011702-CA-01 pending in the 11th Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Florida. The people who filed this Litigation are called the “Plaintiffs” and the company they sued, 8am, LLC d/b/a Docketwise (“Docketwise”), is called the “Defendant.”

In or around October 2025, cybercriminals accessed the credentials to one of Docketwise's third-party partner repositories (the “Data Incident”) and potentially acquired the personally identifiable information (“PII”) of current and former customers of companies that use Docketwise’s services. The types of impacted PII included some combination of: name, address, driver’s license number, financial account number, financial account username and access information, government ID number, health insurance policy number, taxpayer ID number, medical condition or treatment information, non-numerical immigration information, passport number, payment card number, payment card access information, Social Security number, state ID number, username and access information for a non-financial account.

 
On April 15, 2026, Docketwise began notifying Plaintiffs and the Settlement Class about the Data Incident. The Plaintiffs claim the Defendant failed to adequately protect Plaintiffs’ and Settlement Class Members’ Private Information and failed to notify impacted individuals in a timely manner. The Plaintiffs allege negligence/negligence per se, breach of implied contract, and unjust enrichment, among other claims.

Docketwise denies all of the Plaintiffs’ claims and denies any liability or wrong doing.

In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals who sue are known as “Settlement Class Representatives” or Plaintiffs. Together, the people included in the class action are called a “Settlement Class” or “Settlement Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Settlement Class Members, except for those who exclude themselves (sometimes called, “opting out”) from a settlement. In this Settlement, the Settlement Class Representatives are Ngozi Emerokwam and Isse Abdi.

The Court has not decided in favor of the Plaintiffs or Defendant. Docketwise denies all claims and contends that it has not violated any laws. The Plaintiffs and Docketwise agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and through the Settlement, Settlement Class Members are eligible to make a claim for Settlement benefits. The Plaintiffs and their attorneys, who also represent Settlement Class Members as “Class Counsel,” believe the Settlement is in the best interests of all Settlement Class Members.

The Settlement Class consists of all living individuals residing in the United States who were sent Notice, that their PII may have been involved in the Data Incident.

Yes, excluded from the Settlement Class are: (1) the judges presiding over this Litigation, and members of their staff and direct families; (2) governmental entities; (3) the Defendant, their subsidiaries, parent companies, successors, predecessors, and any entity in which the Defendant or their parents have a controlling interest, and their current or former officers and directors; (4) Settlement Class Members who submit a valid Request for Exclusion prior to the Opt-Out Deadline; and (5) any person found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be guilty under criminal law of initiating, causing, aiding or abetting the criminal activity occurrence of the Data Incident, or who pleads nolo contendere to any such charge.

Under the proposed Settlement, Docketwise will provide Settlement benefits to Settlement Class Members, (1) reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket losses and/or lost time (up to an aggregate cap of $5,000 per person) as well as Notice and Administrative Expenses, Court-approved Fee Award and Expenses, and Service Awards. 

In addition to the Settlement Payments below, Docketwise will also pay for two (2) years of Credit Monitoring Services for the Settlement Class. 

Settlement Class Members may choose to receive one of the following Settlement Payment options:

• Reimbursement of Out-of-Pocket Losses and/or Lost Time: Reimbursement of out-of-pocket losses and/or lost time of up to $5,000 per Settlement Class Member. 

  OR 

• Alternative Cash Payment: An alternative cash payment of $50.

In addition to Credit Monitoring, Settlement Class Members may submit a Claim for up to $5,000 per person for reimbursement of out-of-pocket losses incurred as a result of the Data Incident and time lost addressing the Data Incident.

Reimbursement of Out-of-Pocket Losses
Out-of-Pocket Losses include, without limitation:

• Unreimbursed losses relating to fraud or identity theft; 

• Professional fees including attorney fees, accountants’ fees, and fees for credit repair services; 

• Costs associated with freezing or unfreezing credit with any credit reporting agency; 

• Credit monitoring costs that were incurred on or after the Data Incident through the date you submit your claim, e.g., the purchase of identity protection services, credit monitoring services, or ID theft insurance; and 

• Miscellaneous expenses, e.g., notary, fax, postage, copying, mileage, and long-distance telephone charges.

Out-of-pocket losses and expenses must be fairly traceable to the Data Incident and not already reimbursed by a third party.
Supporting documentation means third-party documentation such as receipts, invoices, credit card statements, phone bills, or other documentation not “self-prepared” that demonstrates the costs incurred. “Self-prepared” documents, such as handwritten receipts are, by themselves, insufficient to receive reimbursement, but can be considered to add clarity or support to other submitted documentation.

Reimbursement for Lost Time
In addition to or in lieu of submitting a claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses, you may claim up to three (3) hours of Lost Time spent addressing the Data Incident at $25 per hour (i.e., up to $75 in total). The only documentation required is an attestation demonstrating that you spent the claimed time responding to issues raised by the Data Incident. This attestation may be completed by checking a box on the Claim Form next to the sentence: “I swear and affirm that I spent the amount of time noted in response to the Defendant’s Data Incident.”

In addition to Credit Monitoring, but in lieu of submitting a claim for Reimbursement of Out-of-Pocket Losses and/or Lost Time, Settlement Class Members may file a claim for an Alternative Cash Payment of $50. No supporting documentation or attestations are required to receive this Settlement Payment. 

If you elect to receive the Alternative Cash Payment, you are not eligible for reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Losses or Lost Time.

In addition to the Settlement Payment options, all Settlement Class Members are eligible to file a claim for two (2) years of Kroll Credit Monitoring Services with one-bureau credit monitoring.

The Settlement Administrator will email or mail an activation code to each Settlement Class Member with a Valid Claim for Credit Monitoring Services within fourteen (14) days of the Court granting final approval to the Settlement and any appeals being resolved (the “Effective Date”) that can be used to activate the Credit Monitoring Services. Codes will be active for one-hundred and eighty (180) days after the date of mailing.

Unless you opt out of the Settlement, you cannot sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against Docketwise and the Released Parties about the Released Claims. The Releases section in the Settlement Agreement describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Settlement Class. The Settlement Agreement can be found on the Important Documents page of this Settlement Website.

You must submit a Claim Form by October 15, 2026, with any necessary supporting documentation, to get benefits. Claim Forms must be submitted online by clicking on the Submit Claim button on this Settlement Website by 11:59 p.m. ET, or mailed postmarked by October 15, 2026 to the Settlement Administrator at:

Ngozi Emerokwam, et al. v. 8am LLC d/b/a Docketwise
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391

The short answer is – after the Settlement is “finally approved” and any challenges to that approval are finally resolved. The Court is scheduled to hold a Final Approval Hearing on October 19, 2026 at 02:45 p.m. ET to decide whether to approve the Settlement, Class Counsel’s Fees and Expense Application for representing the Settlement Class, and the Service Awards to the Settlement Class Representatives who brought this Litigation on behalf of the Settlement Class.

If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals. It is always uncertain whether appeals will be filed and, if so, how long it will take to resolve them. Benefits will be distributed as soon as possible, if and when the Court grants final approval of the Settlement and after any appeals are resolved.

Yes, the Court appointed Tonyia Johnson of Shamis & Gentile, P.A. and Scott Edelsberg of Edelsberg Law, P.A. to represent you and other members of the Settlement Class as Class Counsel. You will not be charged directly for these lawyers; instead, they will receive compensation from Docketwise (subject to Court approval).

It is not necessary for you to hire your own lawyer because Class Counsel works for you. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve their Fee and Expense Application requesting up to $300,000 as well as a $2,500 Service Award to each of the two Class Representatives. If approved, these amounts will be paid by Docketwise.

If you do not want to receive any benefits from the Settlement, and you want to keep your right to separately sue Docketwise about the legal issues in this case, you must take steps to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class. This is called “opting out” of the Settlement Class. 

To exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must submit a written “request for exclusion” to the Settlement Administrator that includes the following information:

• A statement that includes the case name and number and clearly states your intention to opt out of the Settlement, e.g., “Request for Exclusion: I wish to opt out of the Settlement in Ngozi Emerokwam, et al. v. 8am LLC d/b/a Docketwise, Case No. 2026-011702-CA-01.”;

• Your full name, current mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if any);

• Your personal signature (an attorney’s signature is not sufficient).

Your request for exclusion must be mailed to the Settlement Administrator at the address below, postmarked no later than September 15, 2026.
 

Ngozi Emerokwam, et al. v. 8am LLC d/b/a Docketwise
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
ATTN: Requests for Exclusion
P.O. Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391

You may only opt out for yourself. Mass or class requests to opt out filed by third parties for multiple Settlement Class Members are not permitted under the Settlement Agreement. If you do not file a timely request for exclusion by September 15, 2026, you will lose the opportunity to exclude yourself from the Settlement and will be bound by the Settlement.

You cannot opt out by telephone or by email.

Mass or class requests to opt-out filed by third parties on behalf of a mass or class of Settlement Class Members or multiple Settlement Class Members where the opt-out has not been signed by each and every individual Settlement Class Member will not be allowed.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you can choose (but are not required) to object to the Settlement if you do not like it or a portion of it, whether that be to the Settlement benefits, the request for Fee Award and Expenses, or Service Awards, the Releases provided to Docketwise, or some other aspect of the Settlement. Through an objection, you give reasons why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement.

To be considered by the Court, your objection must include:

• The case name and number, Ngozi Emerokwam, et al. v. 8am LLC d/b/a Docketwise, Case No. 2026-011702-CA-01;

• Your full name, current mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if any);

• Documentation that establishes your membership in the Settlement Class, e.g., a copy of the Long Form Notice or Short Form Notice you received; 

• A statement of the specific grounds for the objection, as well as any documents supporting the objection and a description of whether the objection applies only to you, a subset of the Settlement Class, or the entire Settlement Class;

• The identity of the attorneys representing you (if any), as well as a description of the attorney’s background and prior experience, the amount of anticipated fees and method of calculation, the attorney’s hourly rate, and the number of hours spent working;

• A statement regarding whether you (or your attorney) intend to 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 description and/or copies of evidence that may be introduced at the Final Approval Hearing;

• A list of proceedings in which you have submitted an objection during the past five (5) years; and

• Your personal signature (an attorney’s signature is not sufficient). 

Objections must be filed with the Court by September 15, 2026 and mailed to the Settlement Administrator, postmarked no later than September 15, 2026.
 

If you do not submit a timely objection as outlined above, you will waive your right to object to the Settlement or to be heard at the Final Approval Hearing.

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 exclude yourself from it. Excluding yourself from the Settlement means telling the Court you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you exclude yourself or opt out of the Settlement, you cannot object to it because the Settlement no longer affects you.

The Court is scheduled to hold a Final Approval Hearing on October 19, 2026 at 02:45 p.m. ET in Room Virtual Courtroom to consider approving the Settlement, Class Counsel’s Fee and Expense Application up to $300,000, and the $2,500 Service Awards to each of the Class Representatives. The date and time of this hearing may change without further notice please continue to check this Settlement Website for updates. You or your attorney may appear at the hearing at your own cost, but you do not have to.

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. You may attend at your own expense. If you file an objection, you may, but you do not have to, come to the Final Approval Hearing to talk about it. If you file your written objection on time and in accordance with the requirements above, the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but it is not necessary.

If you are a Settlement Class Member and you do nothing, you will give up your right to start a lawsuit, continue a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against Docketwise and the Released Parties, as defined in the Settlement Agreement, about the Released Claims. In addition, you will be bound by the Releases in the Settlement and will not be eligible to receive any Settlement benefits.

This Settlement Website summarizes the proposed Settlement. Complete details are provided in the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available on the Important Documents Page of this Settlement Website.

If you have additional questions or need to update your address, you may contact the Settlement Administrator by telephone at (833) 930-0562, or by mail at:

Ngozi Emerokwam, et al. v. 8am LLC d/b/a Docketwise
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
P.O. Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391