KIM v. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
CHRISTOPHER F. KELLY, on behalf of
himself and on behalf of all other similarly
situated individuals,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6234
MARY SIKORA, on behalf of herself and on
behalf of all other similarly situated
individuals,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6262
CHRISTIAN BERSANI, on behalf of
himself and on behalf of all other similarly
situated individuals,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6265
KELLI MACKEY, individually and on
behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6266
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WENDY BRAUND, individually and on
behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6291
JOHNATHAN KIM, individually and on
behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6320
REBECCA LUNDY, individually and on
behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6330
ROBIN WASHINGTON SMART,
individually and on behalf of all others
similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6333
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NEIL GADE, individually and on behalf of
all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6343
JASON ROSENBAUM, on behalf of
himself and on behalf of all other similarly
situated individuals,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6357
MATTHEW LACHS, individually and on
behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6388
RYAN O’HARA, individually and on behalf
of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6408
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JASON HUGHES RANSOM, on behalf of
himself and all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYLVANIA d/b/a THE
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6438
SHARON KELD, individually and on behalf
of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6799
MONIQUE LUKENS, individually and on
behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6826
ADAM KORENGOLD, individually and on
behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6864
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THOMAS BUCKS, individually and on
behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-6902
RONALD BLUE, JR. and RONELL
CONNER, individually and on behalf of all
others similarly situated,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Defendant.
CLASS ACTION
Civ. No. 25-7108
MEMORANDUM
COSTELLO, J. 	December 18, 2025
In October 2025, the University of Pennsylvania experienced a cybersecurity incident.
Each of the above-captioned cases stems from that incident, and the complaints allege that the
data breach resulted in unauthorized access to the class members’ sensitive personal information.
Majority Plaintiffs Christopher F. Kelly, Mary Sikora, Christian Bersani, Kelli Mackey, Wendy
Braund, Rebecca Lundy, Robin Washington Smart, Neil Gade, and Jason Rosenbaum have
moved to consolidate these actions and set certain deadlines.1 Majority Plaintiffs Johnathan
Kim, Matthew Lachs, Ryan O’Hara, and Jason Hughes Ransom did not respond to the
consolidation motion. Majority Plaintiffs Sharon Keld, Monique Lukens, Adam Korengold,
1 	The motion to consolidate includes Sarmiento v. The University of Pennsylvania, No. 25-
6355. Majority Plaintiff Elisa Sarmiento filed a notice of voluntarily dismissal, and that action
was closed on November 19, 2025.
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Thomas Bucks, and Ronald Blue, Jr. filed their complaints while the consolidation motion was
pending. For the reasons stated below, the Court will grant the motion.
I. 	DISCUSSION
If actions involve a common question of law or fact, the court may “consolidate the
actions[,]” or “issue any other orders to avoid unnecessary cost or delay.” F ED. R. C IV. P. 42(a).
A court has broad power under Rule 42(a), and it may consolidate cases upon request or on its
own initiative. Ellerman Lines, Ltd. v. Atl. & Gulf Stevedores, Inc., 339 F.2d 673, 675-76 (3d
Cir. 1964), cert. denied, 382 U.S. 812 (1965).
Consolidating the actions here would promote judicial economy and facilitate the
administration of justice. Each case is a putative class action arising from the same alleged data
breach. Additionally, each case names the University of Pennsylvania or its Trustees as the
defendant, includes similar factual allegations, and proposes similar class definitions. Further,
the complaints raise substantially the same claims. Under these circumstances, the actions
involve common questions of law and fact, and consolidation will promote judicial efficiency by
avoiding unnecessary costs, delay, and duplicative efforts. See, e.g., Meyers v. Onix Group,
LLC., No. 23-2288, 2023 WL 4630674, at *1-*2 (E.D. Pa. Jul. 19, 2023) (consolidating six
actions and any related future actions arising out of the same data breach). Accordingly, the
Court will grant Plaintiffs’ motion to consolidate and set deadlines.
An appropriate order follows.
BY THE COURT:
MARY KAY COSTELLO
United States District Judge
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