AT&T data breach class action lawsuits overview:
- Who: At least nine class action lawsuits have been filed against AT&T Inc. in the wake of a report that the information of more than 70 million of its current and former customers was leaked online.
- Why: Consumers argue AT&T failed to properly safeguard and secure their information by failing to implement adequate security measures that could have prevented the data breach.
- Where: The class action lawsuits were all filed in Texas federal court.
Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed against AT&T following reports that more than 70 million current and former customers had their information leaked online as a result of a data breach that appears to be from 2019.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuits claim AT&T failed to properly safeguard and secure the information of its customers during the data breach, which the company previously addressed in 2021 while maintaining that any customer information did not come from its systems.
The hacker behind the data breach released a limited amount of data at the time of the incident, but has now leaked the information — including names, birthdates and Social Security numbers, among other things — of around 73 million current and former AT&T customers.
The plaintiffs claim AT&T failed to adequately implement security measures that could have prevented a cyberattack, despite having a duty to do so by being entrusted with their customers’ personally identifiable information (PII).
“Defendant had obligations created by contract, industry standards, common law, and its own promises and representations to keep Plaintiff’s and Class Members’ PII confidential and to protect it from unauthorized access and disclosure,” one of the AT&T class actions says.
Customers affected by AT&T data breach at risk of identity theft, other harms, class actions claim
The plaintiffs in the lawsuits claim AT&T waited to notify them about the data breach — with some arguing the company waited approximately five years. They say this has put them at risk of identity theft and various other forms of personal, social and financial harm.
“As a result of Defendant’s failures and the Data Breach, Plaintiffs and Class Members’ identities are now at a current and substantial imminent and ongoing risk of identity theft and shall remain at risk for the rest of their lives,” one of the AT&T class actions says.
The consumers want to represent nationwide classes of current and former AT&T customers whose PII was compromised as a result of the data breach, with some singling out individuals who were notified about the incident. One also wants to represent a California subclass.
The class action lawsuits broadly claim AT&T is guilty of negligence, unjust enrichment and breach of contract, with one also bringing claims under California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Privacy Act.
The plaintiffs all demand a jury trial and are requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with various damages for themselves and their class members.
In other data breach news, a consumer filed a class action lawsuit against WellNow Urgent Care and its parent company The Aspen Group in March over claims they failed to properly secure patient data during a data breach in April 2023.
Were you affected by the AT&T data breach? Let us know in the comments.
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1,373 thoughts onMultiple class actions filed over AT&T data breach
Att customer for 20 years
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i have received several random texts over the past weeks from crazy numbers from multiple states saying that they had gotten a text from my phone number wanting payment of some kind pretending to be with amazon or USAA card ppl? I let them all know quickly it was not from me and that scammers mustve been using my number to try and scam innocent people using my phone number! What do I need to do?
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My email,name and other info has been found on the dark web please add me in this lawsuit am a former AT &T customer
please add me to att claim
add me.
Add me and my daughter
Please add me
I do believe that my personal information has been sold somehow. The dishonest people compromised my bank account. My CalFresh EBT account has been emptied, and there are a few unauthorized transactions made on my Capital One credit card. Please add me .
Again! This is second time.!!