COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – South Carolina is expected to receive over $730,000 from Blackbaud following a multistate settlement for a data breach that impacted thousands of consumers.

According to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, South Carolina along with 49 other states reached a settlement with software company Blackbaud for its deficient data security practices and response to a 2020 ransomware event that exposed the personal information of millions of consumers across the United States. 

Under that settlement, Blackbaud has agreed to make a $49.5 million payment to states. South Carolina will receive $730,449.00 from the settlement.

Also, under the settlement, Blackbaud has agreed to strengthen its data security and breach notification practices going forward.

Blackbaud, based in Charleston, provides software to various nonprofit organizations, including charities, higher education institutions, K-12 schools, healthcare organizations, religious organizations, and cultural organizations. 

Attorney Marlon Kimpson provided the following statement on what this settlement means for all data breach victims:

“We applaud the Attorneys General for this first step toward a resolution with Blackbaud. But to be clear, there are millions of people across this country whose data was stolen because Blackbaud — which held itself out to be the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good – used outdated data security practices. Class counsel remain committed to making it right for the data breach victims.” said Motley Rice attorney Marlon Kimpson on behalf of the co-lead counsel for plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation, which is filed in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.”