Planned Parenthood data breach exposed 1.6M patients’ info, class actions claim

Planned Parenthood data breach class actions overview:

• Who: Two Planned Parenthood patients filed a pair of class action lawsuits against Laboratory Services Cooperative (LSC).
• Why: The plaintiffs claim LSC failed to properly protect the personal information of Planned Parenthood patients during a data breach.
• Where: The Planned Parenthood data breach class actions were filed in Washington federal court.

Planned Parenthood patients have filed a pair of class action lawsuits against Laboratory Services Cooperative over a data breach that reportedly affected up to 1.6 million individuals.

The plaintiffs, both Planned Parenthood patients from California, claim LSC failed to protect their medical records and personally identifiable information during a data breach, which LSC announced on April 10.

One of the Planned Parenthood data breach class actions was filed by plaintiff Keyonna Daniels on April 16, while the other was filed on April 17 by a plaintiff only identified as Jane Doe 1.

LSC is a nonprofit and independent clinical lab headquartered in Seattle that serves certain Planned Parenthood locations throughout the country, according to the Planned Parenthood data breach class actions.

Both lawsuits cite an online notice dated April 10, in which LSC reported it first identified suspicious activity within its network on Oct. 27, 2024.

A subsequent investigation by cybersecurity specialists found that an “unauthorized third party gained access to portions of LSC’s network and accessed/removed certain files belonging to LSC,” according to the notice.

Data breach may affect more than 30 states, lawsuits claim

LSC reported that Planned Parenthood locations in Washington and more than 30 other states “may have been impacted” by the data breach, according to the notice.

While LSC said it is not certain exactly what data was exposed, it said potentially impacted categories include diagnostic, insurance and billing information as well as personal identifiers, such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license IDs.

“In other words, Defendant’s cyber and data security systems were so completely inadequate that it allowed cybercriminals to obtain files containing a treasure trove of thousands of its patients’ highly private sensitive information,” Daniels alleges in her lawsuit.

Daniels argues LSC’s breach differs from typical data breaches because it affects patients who had no relationship with the company, never sought one and never consented to it collecting and storing their information.

“LSC sourced their information from third parties, including Planned Parenthood, stored it on LSC’s systems and assumed a duty to protect it,” Daniels’ lawsuit says.

Both plaintiffs want to represent nationwide classes of consumers whose data was exposed during the Planned Parenthood data breach. The class actions raise claims for negligence, unjust enrichment, invasion of privacy and breach of contract, among other things.

In 2024, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles agreed to a $6 million settlement to resolve claims that it failed to protect its clients from a 2021 data breach that compromised more than 400,000 patients’ information.

Do you believe your personal information may have been compromised in the Planned Parenthood data breach? Let us know in the comments.

Daniels is represented by Samuel J. Strauss of Strauss Borrelli PLLC, while Doe is represented by Thomas E. Loeser of Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy LLP and Ryan Clarkson, Yana Hart and Bryan P. Thompson of Clarkson Law Firm P.C.

The Planned Parenthood data breach class action lawsuits are Daniels v. Laboratory Services Cooperative, Case No. 2:25-cv-00685, and Doe v. Laboratory Services Cooperative, Case No. 2:25-cv-00695, both in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Seattle Division.

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