Skagit Regional Health Settles Meta Pixel Class Action Litigation
Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 1, doing business as Skagit Regional Health, the operator of Skagit Regional Hospital in Mount Vernon, Washington, has agreed to settle class action litigation stemming from its use of Meta Pixel and other tracking tools on its website, which may have disclosed patient information to third parties.
Like many hospital operators, Skagit Regional Health added tracking technologies such as Meta Pixel to its website. These tools track user activity on websites, such as the pages visited and time spent on each page; however, they can collect a range of information that can be tied to individuals via various identifiers, including IP addresses. The data collected by these tools is typically transmitted to the providers of these tools, and in the case of Meta Pixel, the data can be used to serve targeted advertisements.
On November 8, 2024, a lawsuit was filed in Skagit County Superior Court in Washington by Dave Suther – Dave Suther v. Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 1, d/b/a Skagit Regional Hospital – alleging the defendant had used tracking tools on the hospital website which collected and transmitted protected health information to Meta and other third parties without the knowledge or consent of website users. The lawsuit asserted claims of negligence, negligence per se, invasion of privacy-intrusion upon seclusion, invasion of privacy-disclosure of private facts, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty, and violations of both the Washington Consumer Protection Act and the Washington Privacy Act.
The defendant denies any wrongdoing or liability and believes it would prevail at summary judgment; however, after taking into account the costs, time, and distraction of continuing with the litigation and the uncertainty and risks associated with any litigation, it agreed to engage in settlement discussions. A settlement has now been agreed that is acceptable to all parties, and the settlement has received preliminary approval from the court. Under the terms of the settlement, Skagit Regional Health has agreed to cover the cost of attorneys’ fees and expenses, settlement administration costs, class representative awards, and a cash payment of $20 for all class members.
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The class consists of individuals who were patients of Skagit Regional Hospital who navigated to, signed up for, logged in, or used its patient portal between May 1, 2021, and September 5, 2025. Individuals wishing to object to the settlement or exclude themselves must do so by November 3, 2025. Claims for cash payments must be submitted by November 3, 2025, and the final fairness hearing has been scheduled for November 21, 2025. Further information can be found on the settlement website: https://www.sutherpixelsettlement.com/
