Hundreds Sue Kettering Health Over Disrupted Care After 2025 Data Breach

Lawsuits allege Kettering Health failed to have contingency plans in place, leading to canceled appointments and missed critical care for patients.

Mar. 5, 2026 at 10:48pm

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Around 700 people are suing the Kettering Health Network after a cyberattack in May 2025 crippled their hospitals' systems for months, leading to canceled appointments, disrupted access to medications, and missed critical care for patients, including cancer patients. Attorneys say Kettering Health should have had contingency plans in place to ensure patients continued receiving care, but instead "just stopped seeing patients" and "started turning everybody away."

Why it matters

This case highlights the importance of healthcare providers having robust cybersecurity measures and contingency plans in place to ensure continuity of care for patients, even in the event of a major data breach or system outage. The lawsuits allege Kettering Health's failure to prepare led to significant harm for vulnerable patients who were denied access to essential medical treatment.

The details

The data breach on May 20, 2025, saw hundreds of thousands of files stolen from Kettering Health's database, leaving their systems crippled for months. Attorneys say Kettering Health had "no contingency plan" and "just stopped seeing patients, stopped taking phone calls and they started turning everybody away." This left patients without access to prescription medications, scheduled appointments, and contact with their care providers. The lawsuits represent multiple cancer patients and others receiving critical care who were unable to get the treatment they needed, with one patient's aggressive cancer allegedly progressing rapidly due to the disruption.

  • The data breach occurred on May 20, 2025.
  • The lawsuits were filed in March 2026.

The players

Kettering Health Network

A healthcare provider operating hospitals and medical facilities in the Dayton, Ohio area.

Wright & Shulte

The law firm representing around 700 people in the lawsuits against Kettering Health.

Michael Wright

An attorney with Wright & Shulte.

Robert Gresham

An attorney with Wright & Shulte.

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What they’re saying

“They had no contingency plan and they just stopped seeing patients. They stopped taking phone calls and they started turning everybody away.”

— Michael Wright, Attorney, Wright & Shulte

“We represent cancer patients that were unable to get their chemotherapy. Those patients were living in fear, and they were living in pain.”

— Michael Wright, Attorney, Wright & Shulte

“That time that it took for them to re-diagnose him, get a new treatment plan, that was all while his cancer was seriously quickly progressing through his body.”

— Michael Wright, Attorney, Wright & Shulte

“They're about accountability for a breakdown that was preventable. It's just not acceptable.”

— Robert Gresham, Attorney, Wright & Shulte

What’s next

The lawsuits are ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether Kettering Health will acknowledge responsibility or attempt to shift blame to individual doctors.

The takeaway

This case underscores the critical need for healthcare providers to have robust cybersecurity measures and comprehensive contingency plans in place to ensure patient care is not disrupted, even in the event of a major data breach or system outage. Failure to do so can lead to devastating consequences for vulnerable patients.