Washington joins $23andMe bankruptcy settlement over genetic-data breach affecting more than 220,000 state residents

Washington has joined a coalition of 42 attorneys general in a settlement involving 23andMe and the genetic-testing company’s bankruptcy trustee, Attorney General Nick Brown’s office announced July 23, 2026.

The settlement resolves allegations stemming from a 2023 data breach, according to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. The office said more than 220,000 Washington customers were identified as affected.

The announcement makes Washington part of a multistate response to allegations concerning the exposure and misuse of highly sensitive genetic information. It identifies the settlement as involving the company’s bankruptcy trustee, a distinction that frames the matter as proceeding in connection with 23andMe’s bankruptcy rather than solely as an agreement directly with the company.

Washington customers are directly affected

More than 220,000 Washington customers were identified as affected, the attorney general’s office said. That figure connects the multistate settlement to a large number of customers in the state, though the available announcement does not describe the particular circumstances of each person’s data exposure.

The state’s announcement does not say that every customer identified as affected will receive money or another individual benefit. It also does not provide a per-person amount for Washington consumers.

Those limits are important because the number of affected customers is not, by itself, a description of the relief each person may receive. The available information does not establish an individual payment amount, eligibility determination or outcome for any particular customer.

Settlement addresses allegations from 2023 breach

Brown’s office said the allegations addressed by the settlement stem from a data breach in 2023. The official announcement does not characterize the agreement as an admission of liability by 23andMe or by the bankruptcy trustee.

The settlement’s focus on alleged exposure and misuse of genetic information gives the matter significance beyond a routine consumer-data dispute. Genetic information is highly sensitive, and the attorney general’s office identified that type of information as the subject of the allegations. The announcement, however, does not specify the precise genetic data associated with each affected Washington customer.

Washington did not act alone. By joining 42 attorneys general, the state entered a coordinated settlement involving multiple state enforcement offices. Brown’s office issued the Washington announcement and identified the state as a participant in that coalition.

What has not been announced

Key details for individual Washington customers were not included in the available announcement. It does not state an individual dollar amount that consumers may receive, and it does not identify a final process for distributing relief.

No claim-filing deadline was specified in the available material. The announcement also does not provide instructions for customers to submit claims or say when any distribution process would begin.

As a result, customers should not assume that being among those identified as affected establishes an immediate payment, a particular payment amount or a completed claims process. Those questions remain unaddressed in the information released by the attorney general’s office.

What happens next

The confirmed development is Washington’s participation in the settlement with 23andMe’s bankruptcy trustee alongside 42 attorneys general. The available announcement does not set a next public deadline or lay out a timetable for the settlement’s administration.

For now, the state has confirmed the settlement’s connection to allegations arising from the 2023 breach and the effect on more than 220,000 Washington customers. Further details would be needed to determine whether customers must take action, what relief may be available and when any claims process could occur.

Sources

• AG Brown joins 42 attorneys general in 23andMe settlement, Washington State Office of the Attorney General