Tommy O. Johnson, et. al. v. City and County of San Francisco, et al.

Plaintiffs’ class claims allege that the City and County of San Francisco violated California Health and Safety Code section 1430(b) and the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, Civil Code § 56, et seq. In May of 2025, the parties agreed to settle, which means they have reached an agreement to resolve the lawsuit. Both sides want to avoid the cost and risk of continuing the case in court. The settlement is for the affected residents who brought the case and all members of the settlement classes. The Court has not decided this case in favor of either side.

The settlement provides for relief to two specific classes. On July 26, 2024, the Court granted Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification and certified the following classes (the “Classes”):

• Patients’ Rights Class: All patients of Laguna Honda Hospital from April 14, 2022 through August 16, 2023.
• Confidentiality Class: All patients of LHH from March 23, 2017 to February 17, 2026 (or their responsible party) to whom the San Francisco Department of Public Health sent written notice that their private medical and health information was acquired and disseminated by Defendants to persons not privileged to receive it without the patient’s consent.

If you are part of either the Patients’ Rights Class or the Confidentiality Class and satisfy the specific conditions therein, you are part of this settlement.

The City and County of San Francisco has agreed to pay $5,750,000 into a settlement fund. The net settlement fund will be allocated in two steps:

• Confidentiality Class: Members of the Confidentiality Class shall each be entitled to a settlement award of seven hundred fifty dollars ($750).
• Patients’ Rights Class: After payments are made to Confidentiality Class Members, members of the Patients’ Rights Class shall each be entitled to an initial, base payment of one thousand dollars ($1,000).