Chrome Holding Co., the company that acquired 23andMe's assets out of bankruptcy, received court approval on Tuesday for a $46.75 million settlement to compensate victims of the genetics testing company's 2023 data breach.
A bankruptcy judge in St. Louis approved the deal, which covers roughly 6.4 million U.S. residents whose personal information was stolen in a cyberattack that 23andMe disclosed in October 2023. The settlement had already received final approval from the court in January 2026, but the total payout amount was agreed upon last month, according to Gizmodo.
Of the $46.75 million total, $14.29 million has already been distributed to victims, according to Reuters. The remaining $32.46 million is now cleared for distribution. According to the BBC, the court's ruling requires Chrome Holding to transfer the full settlement amount to Kroll Restructuring Administration, the claims administrator, no later than five business days after Tuesday's order. Kroll will then distribute the funds to eligible claimants.
Eligible settlement class members may receive up to $10,000 for extraordinary claims, up to $165 for health information claims, an estimated $100 for statutory cash claims, and five years of privacy and genetic monitoring services, the settlement website states. Payments will not be distributed until the bankruptcy reconciliation process is resolved, which may take several months or longer.
The 2023 breach exposed sensitive data — including genetic markers tied to health conditions and family history — belonging to approximately 6.4 million U.S. residents. Because the hackers could pull up the genetic profiles of any relatives linked to a compromised account, what began as a limited intrusion ultimately exposed data belonging to millions of people beyond those whose accounts were directly targeted, according to the BBC.
Chrome Holding, which operates under the name TTAM Research Institute, is controlled by Anne Wojcicki, the co-founder of 23andMe. At a bankruptcy auction, Wojcicki's organization secured the company's assets for $305 million, according to the BBC. According to Reuters, 23andMe sought Chapter 11 protection in March 2025, pointing to the data breach, associated legal costs, and a shrinking market for genetic testing products as contributing factors.
The legal fallout from the breach is not fully resolved. A separate state-court lawsuit brought by California Attorney General Rob Bonta targets Chrome Holding Co., with Bonta's office arguing that the company neglected known security vulnerabilities before the breach and deceived customers about its full scope, according to Gizmodo. Chrome Holding has petitioned the bankruptcy court to halt the state proceedings, though no ruling on that request has been issued.