Christopher F. Kelly, on behalf of himself and on behalf of all other similarly situated individuals v. University of Pennsylvania; Mary Sikora, on behalf of herself and on behalf of all other similarly situated individuals v. University of Pennsylvania; Christian Bersani, on behalf of himself and on behalf of all other similarly situated individuals v. University of Pennsylvania; Kelli Mackey, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. University of Pennsylvania

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

CHRISTOPHER F. KELLY, on behalf of CLASS ACTION himself and on behalf of all other similarly situated individuals, Civ. No. 25-6234 Plaintiff,

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

MARY SIKORA, on behalf of herself and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all other similarly situated individuals, Civ. No. 25-6262 Plaintiff,

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

CHRISTIAN BERSANI, on behalf of CLASS ACTION himself and on behalf of all other similarly situated individuals, Civ. No. 25-6265 Plaintiff,

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

KELLI MACKEY, individually and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6266

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant. WENDY BRAUND, individually and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6291

v.

THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

JOHNATHAN KIM, individually and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6320

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

REBECCA LUNDY, individually and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6330

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

ROBIN WASHINGTON SMART, CLASS ACTION individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Civ. No. 25-6333 Plaintiff,

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant. NEIL GADE, individually and on behalf of CLASS ACTION all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6343

v.

TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

JASON ROSENBAUM, on behalf of CLASS ACTION himself and on behalf of all other similarly situated individuals, Civ. No. 25-6357 Plaintiff,

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

MATTHEW LACHS, individually and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6388

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

RYAN O’HARA, individually and on behalf CLASS ACTION of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6408

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant. JASON HUGHES RANSOM, on behalf of CLASS ACTION himself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6438

v.

THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA d/b/a THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

SHARON KELD, individually and on behalf CLASS ACTION of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6799

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

MONIQUE LUKENS, individually and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6826

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

ADAM KORENGOLD, individually and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6864

v.

THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant. THOMAS BUCKS, individually and on CLASS ACTION behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Civ. No. 25-6902

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

RONALD BLUE, JR. and RONELL CLASS ACTION CONNER, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Civ. No. 25-7108 Plaintiff,

v.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Defendant.

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. 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.” FED. R. CIv. 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., Mevers 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: Mh, ko E> MARY KAY COSTELLO United States District Judge