Dish Network class action alleges data breach compromised customer, employee info

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Dish Network class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Susan Owen-Brooks filed a class action lawsuit against Dish Network Corp.
• Why: Dish Network allegedly failed to adequately safeguard customer and employee data, leaving it vulnerable to cybercriminals.
• Where: The Dish Network class action lawsuit was filed in Colorado federal court.
• What are my options: Consumers wishing to better protect their own data may be interested in Norton LifeLock.

Dish Network Corp. is facing a class action lawsuit alleging it failed to safeguard customers’ and employees’ personal information from hackers.

Plaintiff Susan Owen-Brooks says she was notified last month about a Dish Network data breach in which the personal information of the satellite television provider’s customers and employees was compromised.

News reports indicated the Dish Network data breach was actually a ransomware attack from a Russian ransomware gang called Black Basta, Owens-Brooks says, which accessed the data on Feb. 23.

The hackers reportedly accessed customer and employee names, birthdates, addresses, email addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, credit card or account information and other personally identifiable information (PII).

With this PII, the Dish Network class action notes, cybercriminals are able to commit a number of crimes in the victims’ names, such as opening new financial accounts, taking out loans, obtaining medical services, obtaining government benefits, filing fraudulent tax returns and giving false information to police during arrest.

Plaintiff: Dish Network data breach increases risk of identity theft, fraud

Owen-Brooks says the putative class members’ identities are at risk due to the Dish Network data breach, and seeks compensatory damages, reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs and injunctive relief on behalf of herself and the proposed class.

The Dish Network class action notes that the company’s privacy policy assures customers that it will not share PII with third parties except in specific, defined circumstances and that it takes information security seriously.

However, Owen-Brooks says Dish Network failed to comply with industry standards and left its customer and employee data vulnerable to cybercriminals. 

She notes the high market value of PII and the substantial risk of prison time for cyber theft to stress the importance of information security, and that there is high probability that the information stolen in the Dish Network data breach will be “dumped on the black market,” putting class members at increased risk of fraud and identity theft.

The Dish Network class action lawsuit asserts claims for negligence, breach of contract, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment, and violation of the North Carolina Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

In 2021, Dish Network agreed to a settlement over claims it made telemarketing calls to phone numbers listed on the National Do Not Call Registry in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

Were you affected by the Dish Network data breach? Tell us your story in the comments!

Owen-Brooks is represented by Mark E. Saliman of Saliman Law LLC and Mason A. Barney and Steven D. Cohen of Siri & Glimstad LLP.

The Dish Network data breach class action lawsuit is Susan Owen-Brooks, et al. v. Dish Network Corp., Case No. 1:23-cv-01168-SP, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

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