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Can a Data Breach Lawyer Help You After a Cybersecurity Loss?
People can lose their savings, their identity, and sometimes their physical safety after online cybersecurity hacks. These injuries are real, and a data breach lawyer can help you recover damages.
With our financial, professional, and social interactions taking place online more frequently every year, cybersecurity and data privacy are critical. Companies that hold our sensitive information have a duty to guard against theft, and when their security fails, real people are harmed.
If you have lost money, privacy, or otherwise suffered due to a data breach, you have legal options to secure compensation and hold the negligent accountable.
You are not just a data entry line to the lawyers at Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann, P.C. We know the stress our clients face after their information is stolen, publicly leaked, or fraudulently used. We are here to help you recover the full amount of all your losses, including economic damages (as in cases of theft) and non-economic (the time spent re-securing your data).
Call our Birmingham, Alabama offices directly at (205) 322-8880, or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation with our data breach lawyers. To learn more about the causes and consequences of data theft, and what remedies the law can provide, read on.
How Much Compensation Do You Get for Breach of Privacy?
Data breach settlements and verdicts have yielded millions of dollars for those impacted, including high-profile results like:
- $700 million from Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States, after a breach that leaked the identifying information of over 43 million Americans (their names, birth dates, phone numbers, and social security numbers)
- $500 million from Facebook for a data breach that compromised the personal information of over 50 million users
- $117.5 million from Yahoo in a class-action lawsuit regarding a hack that affected tens of millions of user accounts
Numerous major companies have had to pay for data breaches, including Home Depot ($19.5 million to consumers), Sony ($15 million after a PlayStation data breach), and Target ($10 million).
Credit agencies, social media companies, and online retailers have all been successfully sued for millions due to their negligence with cybersecurity. See the FAQs for a fuller list of vulnerable industries.
No industry is safe from data breach attacks, but all can be held responsible for leaving your data vulnerable. Our case results at Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann, P.C. show our proven experience in securing wins against large companies on behalf of our clients.
Can I Sue for a Data Breach?
Yes, if your digital information has been compromised, you may have the option to sue for a data breach.
Here are examples of the types of damages you can file a case over:
- Fraudulent misuse of data: If your data was accessed and then used to open credit accounts, steal goods or services, or cheat tax laws, that is strong evidence of damage done to your name and credit score.
- Heightened risk and damage reduction costs: If your data has been leaked but there is not yet evidence of fraudulent misuse, courts have ruled that the increased risk gives you the right to file suit. Any time or money spent freezing or monitoring your credit accounts for fraudulent activity are losses you could have compensated.
- Emotional distress: Once your data has been compromised, it can never be uncompromised. That means a lifetime of increased vigilance, and potentially repeated instances of identity theft that you have to report to the police and resolve personally with defrauded companies. This causes persistent psychological stress and fear that could have been prevented.
If your personal data has been breached, it could change the course of your life in negative ways. You may lose out on the purchase of your first home or business if your credit history is damaged due to identity theft. You may be on the phone arguing with collections agencies for years to come, explaining over and over again that you were the victim of identity theft. You may need to move to protect your physical safety if your address is revealed to those who wish to do you harm.
These are just some of the serious consequences of data breaches. It’s not fair that you are left with the responsibility of cleaning up someone else’s mistake. Contact an attorney at Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann, P.C. by calling (205) 322-8880 to hold the real wrongdoers accountable.
Once your data has been compromised, it can never be uncompromised. The harm caused by one data breach can lead to life-long expenses and hardships. Hold companies accountable for what their carelessness has done.
Is Data Breach a Legal Issue?
Yes, the courts recognize data breach incidents as a very serious legal matter. The legal issues in cybersecurity leaks include:
- A lack of security measures for reasonably anticipated threats, or response protocols after a breach
- Improperly training employees on how to gather and secure the data they access
- Failure to ensure that third-party vendors meet the security requirements users are promised
- Failure to regularly audit, review, or track their own systems for irregularities, vulnerabilities, and known weaknesses or intrusions
- Failure to report/inform consumers and stakeholders of a breach
Companies that collect and store data have a duty to protect the personal information they hold to the best of their ability. If they are negligent, and your data is endangered, they can be held legally responsible.
If you are ready to hold companies accountable for their carelessness, reach out to Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann, P.C. by calling (205) 322-8880. Big corporations do not have the right to put you at risk.
How Serious Is a Data Breach?
A data breach can be an extremely serious matter, sometimes life-altering or even fatal (as when someone’s data is accessible to a violent stalker). The private, sensitive information that can be leaked or stolen includes:
- Social security numbers linked to your credit score and retirement income
- Medical details, DNA and genetic information, health insurance data, and biometric information
- Bank and credit card information
- Phone numbers, physical addresses, and email addresses
- Your driver’s license information, including your birthday/age, appearance descriptors, and your photo
- Location data such as where you live, stay, travel, shop, and when those movements occurred
- Your full name, previous names, and the names of your family members
In the wrong hands, each of these pieces of data can compromise your physical safety, your financial health, or your right to privacy. These are absolutely legal issues that can be addressed with a personal injury lawsuit.
What happens when data is breached? Criminals can access your information, and use it to steal your money, tarnish your good credit standing, or sell it to third parties who may want to harm, embarrass, or harass you.
Contact Knowledgable Data Breach Attorneys
A data breach is an invasion of privacy, and has real-world consequences for so many individuals every day. Companies must be careful and diligent with the information they hold. If they are negligent, they can be held accountable for the millions of dollars in damages that result from cyber theft.
Regardless of what caused a data security breach or what information was compromised, you may have the standing to file a lawsuit. For specific information related to your case, contact our attorneys at Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann, P.C. directly by calling (205) 322-8880.
Your decision to reach out today could mean personal compensation for your losses, and help alert others to the danger they’re in. For large breaches, a class-action lawsuit could have industry-changing effects, improving data protection for the future.
