1. Why was the 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 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 excluding?
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 District Court of Wyandotte County, Kansas, authorized the 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 Jason Buhl v. Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Case No. WY-2026-CV-000143. It is pending in the District Court of Wyandotte County, Kansas. The person who filed this lawsuit is the “Plaintiff” (or “Class Representative”) and the company he sued, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., is the “Defendant.”
Back To Top
This lawsuit alleges that during the June 2025 Data Incident, certain files that contained private information were accessed. These files may have contained personal information such as information that identifies an individual or that in combination with other information can be used to identify, locate, or contact an individual.
Back To Top
In a class action, one or more individuals sue on behalf of other people with similar claims. These individuals are the “Plaintiffs” or “Class Representatives.” Together, the people included in the class action are a “Class” or “Class Members.” One court resolves the lawsuit for all Class Members, except for those who timely and properly opt out from the Settlement. In this Settlement, the Class Representative is Jason Buhl. Everyone included in this Action are the Class Members.
Back To Top
The Court did not decide whether the Plaintiff 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 Class Members to receive benefits from the Settlement. The Plaintiff and his attorneys think the Settlement is best for all Class Members.
Back To Top
The Court has defined the Class this way: “All individuals residing in the United States whose Personal Information was compromised in the Data Incident, including all those individuals who received notice of the Data Incident.”
Back To Top
Yes. Excluded from the Class are: (1) the Judge in this case, and the Judge’s family and staff; (2) DFA and its officers, directors, and related companies; and (3) anyone who validly excludes themselves from the Settlement.
If you are not sure whether you are a Class Member, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
DFA Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
Email: info@DFADataSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7324
You may also view the Settlement Agreement here.
Back To Top
All Settlement Class Members may claim Credit Monitoring Services and one of two cash payment options. The benefits are explained in more detail below.
Credit Monitoring Services. All Class Members are eligible to enroll in two years of CyEx Financial Shield Total. This comprehensive service comes with $1 million of financial fraud insurance, and includes monitoring for:
fraud or identity theft
unauthorized financial transactions
personal information associated with high-risk transactions
If anything suspicious happens, you will be able to talk to a fraud resolution agent to help fix any problems.
Cash Payment Options
Out-of-Pocket Losses. If you incurred documented out-of-pocket losses due to the Data Incident, you may be eligible for up to $4,500.00. The losses must have occurred between June 11, 2025, and October 14, 2026, and be fairly traceable to the Data Incident.
This benefit covers documented out-of-pocket expenses like:
losses because of identity theft or fraud
fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, or freezing and unfreezing your credit
cost to replace your IDs
postage to contact banks by mail
To be eligible, you must send proof, like bank statements or receipts, to show how much you spent or lost. You can also send notes or papers you made yourself to explain or support other proof, but those notes or papers alone are not enough to make a valid claim. Your proof or notes must show that your expenses were because of the Data Incident. Your claim must be submitted under penalty of perjury.
You may not claim a payment for expenses already reimbursed by a third party.
Alternative Cash Payment. Instead of a payment for Out-of-Pocket Losses, you may claim a one-time cash payment. This payment is expected to be $55.00, but may be smaller depending on the total claims filed. You do not have to provide any proof or explanation to claim this payment.
There is an aggregate cap of $475,000.00 on these cash payments. This means that if the total value of cash payments claimed is over $475,000.00, everyone’s payments will be reduced pro rata so that they add up to $475,000.00.
A full description of how this works is available in the Settlement Agreement.
If you have questions about these benefits, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
DFA Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
Email: info@DFADataSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7324
Back To Top
If you stay in the class, you won’t be able to be part of any other lawsuit against DFA about the issues that this Settlement covers. The “Releases” section of the Settlement Agreement (Section IX) describes the legal claims that you give up if you remain in the Class. The Settlement Agreement is available here.
Back To Top
The fastest way to submit your Claim Form is online here. If you prefer, you can download a printable Claim Form here and mail it to the Settlement Administrator at:
DFA Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
You may also contact the Settlement Administrator to request a Claim Form by telephone, toll free, (833) 421-7324, by email info@DFADataSettlement.com, or by U.S. mail at the address above.
Back To Top
If you are submitting a Claim Form online here, you must do so by October 14, 2026. If you are downloading the Claim Form here and submitting a claim by U.S. mail, the completed and signed Claim Form, including supporting documentation, must be postmarked no later than October 14, 2026.
Back To Top
The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on October 26, 2026 (see Question 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.
Back To Top
Yes, the Court has appointed attorney Brittany Resch of Strauss Borrelli PLLC and Maureen M. Brady of McShane & Brady, LLC, to represent you and other Class Members (“Class Counsel”).
Back To Top
You will not be charged for Class Counsel’s services. If you want your own lawyer, you may hire one at your expense.
Back To Top
Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve $158,333.33 as reasonable attorney's fees and reimbursement of litigation costs. This amount will be paid by DFA separate and apart from the other Settlement benefits.
Class Counsel will also ask for a Service Award Payment of $2,500.00 for the Class Representative. The Service Award Payment will also be paid by DFA separate and apart from the other Settlement benefits.
Back To Top
If you do not want to be part of the Settlement, you must formally exclude yourself from the Settlement. This is called a Request for Exclusion, also called “opting out.” If you opt out, you will not receive Settlement benefits or payment. However, you will keep any rights you may have to sue DFA on your own about the legal issues in this case.
If you exclude yourself, 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 exclude yourself.
The deadline to exclude yourself from the Settlement is September 14, 2026.
To be valid, your Request for Exclusion must have the following information:
the name of the Litigation: Jason Buhl v. Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Case No. WY-2026-CV-000143, pending in the District Court of Wyandotte County, Kansas;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
personal signature;
the words “Request for Exclusion” 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 Request for Exclusion to the Settlement Administrator at:
DFA Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
Your Request for Exclusion must be submitted, postmarked, or emailed by September 14, 2026.
Back To Top
If you are a 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 cannot object if you have excluded yourself from the Settlement (see Question 15).
You must provide the following information for the Court to consider your objection:
the name of the Litigation: Jason Buhl v. Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Case No. WY-2026-CV-000143, pending in the District Court of Wyandotte County, Kansas;
your full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
a clear description of all the reasons you object; include any legal support, such as documents, you may have for your objection;
whether the objection applies only to you, or to other Class Members, as well;
if you have hired your own lawyer to represent you for this objection, provide their name, bar number, and contact information;
whether or not you or your lawyer would like to speak at the Final Approval Hearing;
if you or your lawyer have objected in any other cases, list the names, courts, and civil action numbers for each of those cases;
your signature (or, if you have hired your own lawyer, your lawyer’s signature).
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 September 14, 2026. You must also send a copy of the objection to the Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and counsel for Defendants.
Clerk of the Court | Settlement Administrator |
Clerk of the Court | DFA Data Incident Settlement |
Class Counsel | Counsel for Defendants |
Brittany Resch | Christopher S. Dodrill |
Back To Top
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 the Settlement. Excluding yourself from the Settlement is opting out and 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.
Back To Top
The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on October 26, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time, at the Wyandotte County Courthouse. 710 N 7th St., Kansas City, KS 66101.
At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. The Court will also decide how much Class Counsel should be paid, and whether to award a Service Award Payment to the Class Representative. The Court will also consider any objections to the Settlement.
If you are a Class Member, you or your lawyer may ask permission to speak at the hearing at your own cost (see Question 16).
The date, time, and/or location of this hearing may change without further notice. Please check this website for updates.
Back To Top
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.
Back To Top
If you do nothing, you will not receive a benefit from this Settlement.
You will also give up the rights described in Question 8.
Back To Top
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.
If you have additional questions, you can ask for free help any time by contacting the Settlement Administrator at:
DFA Data Incident Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 25226
Santa Ana, CA 92799
Email: info@DFADataSettlement.com
Call toll free, 24/7: (833) 421-7324
You can obtain copies of publicly filed documents by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court, 710 N 7th St., Kansas City, KS 66101.
Do not contact the Court or Clerk of Court regarding this Settlement.
Back To Top