National Public Data class actions allege company responsible for data breach affecting billions

National Public Data data breach class action overview: 

• Who: National Public Data has been hit with three class action lawsuits by U.S. residents.
• Why: The plaintiffs say the company was responsible for their data being exposed in a breach.
• Where: The National Public Data class action lawsuits were filed in Florida federal courts.

National Public Data, a background check company that aggregates billions of records, is facing three separate class action lawsuits in the aftermath of a significant data breach that exposed the personal information of countless people.

The three lawsuits, each filed in Florida federal courts in the first week of August, accuse the company of failing to protect sensitive data from a cyberattack that happened earlier this year.

The complaints, brought against Jerico Pictures Inc. — doing business as National Public Data — allege that the company’s systems were breached in April 2024. 

2.9 billion records stolen

According to the lawsuits, the data breach led to the theft of personally identifiable information belonging to millions of individuals. 

The stolen data, which included full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and even family history, was reportedly put up for sale on the dark web, the plaintiffs allege.

The breach was first reported on June 1, 2024, by VX-Underground, a cybersecurity research group, one of the complaints states.

VX-Underground claimed that the cybercriminal group “USDoD” was behind the attack and had posted the database containing 2.9 billion records for sale online for $3.5 million. 

The research group also confirmed the authenticity of the data. Despite the scale of the breach, National Public Data has yet to publicly acknowledge the incident or notify affected individuals directly, the lawsuits state.

National Public Data failed to secure information, lawsuits claim

The four named plaintiffs in the lawsuits argue that the company failed to adequately secure the sensitive information it collected, leaving it vulnerable to unauthorized access. 

They also claim National Public Data obtained much of the data from non-public sources without the knowledge or consent of the individuals involved. 

The lawsuits allege that by collecting and profiting from this data, the company assumed a duty to protect it — a duty the company did not live up to, the plaintiffs say.

One of the plaintiffs, James Thomas Jones of Florida, says he discovered in late July that his personal information had been compromised. 

Jones says he was alerted by Experian that his data had been found on the dark web following the breach. He states that he never provided his information to National Public Data and that the company scraped his information from non-public sources without his consent.

As a result, the plaintiffs are seeking to represent classes of U.S. residents whose personally identifiable information was compromised in the breach. 

They are suing for negligence and breach of implied contract and are seeking certification of the class action lawsuits, damages, fees, costs and orders requiring National Public Data to enhance its cybersecurity practices. The lawsuits also seek jury trials. 

Were you affected by the National Public Data breach? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiffs are represented by Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert and Markovits, Stock & Demarco LLC; and Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group and Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP.

The National Public Data breach class actions lawsuits are Lowanda Wilcox v. Jerico Pictures Inc., Case No. 0:24-cv-61418-AHS; Barry Cotton et al., v. Jerico Pictures Inc., Case No. 0:24-cv-61396-MD and James Thomas Jones v. Jerico Pictures Inc., Case No. 0:24-cv-61412-XXXX, all in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. 

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