Marriott International, Inc.

This docket consolidates claims from customers whose personal information was exposed in a data security breach affecting Marriott's Starwood guest reservation database, disclosed in late 2018 and involving one of the largest hospitality-sector data breaches on record, with exposure reportedly affecting a very large number of guest records over several years before detection. Centralized in the District of Maryland in early 2019, the docket carries 73 pending actions seven years later, reflecting both the scale of the underlying breach and an extended claims-administration process.

For a funder, a data-breach docket of this scale and age presents a relatively developed diligence picture: class-certification, standing, and damages-methodology questions common to large-scale data-breach litigation have been extensively tested here and in comparable dockets, and any settlement-fund mechanics established in this proceeding provide a framework for evaluating individual or opt-out claims. Claim value in data-breach litigation is generally driven by statutory damages theories, documented identity-theft or fraud harm, and class membership criteria rather than bodily injury.

Because this is a data-security and consumer-protection matter rather than a personal-injury docket, medical-lien considerations do not apply. For a claimant group or firm with a specific claim or set of claims tied to this breach, Criterica Capital's commercial litigation finance line is the applicable structure, with diligence focused on class membership, opt-out status relative to any existing settlement, and documented harm. A structural brief on the current claim population is available through Criterica Intelligence.

Pre-settlement funding is a non-recourse purchase of a portion of the proceeds of a pending legal claim — not a loan. If the case does not result in a recovery, nothing is owed. Rates, fees, and repayment terms are disclosed in full in the funding agreement, which the applicant’s attorney reviews before signing. Availability and terms vary by state.