Jessy Edwards  |  May 12, 2023

Category: Data Breach

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Law firm data breach overview: 

  • Who: A Pennsylvania man has filed a class action lawsuit against a Philadelphia law firm
  • Why: The plaintiff alleges the Spear Wilderman PC’s negligence led to a data breach.
  • Where: The law firm data breach was filed in a Pennsylvania federal court.
  • What are my options: Try Norton LifeLock for data security options.

A Pennsylvania man has filed a class action lawsuit against Philadelphia law firm Spear Wilderman PC, alleging the company’s failings led to a data breach.

Plaintiff Jerome Raniell filed the class action lawsuit against Spear Wilderman PC on April 14 in a Pennsylvania federal court, alleging negligence. 

According to the lawsuit, the labor and employment firm failed to safeguard confidential data which led to a 2021 breach that exposed the personal information of tens of thousands of clients, witnesses and others connected to cases the firm has handled.

To detail the alleged negligence, Raniell said the company did not use “basic security measures,” such as password protection for its databases.

“[Spear Wilderman] maintained the private information in a reckless and negligent manner. In particular, the private information was maintained on a database that was not password protected and therefore accessible to any member of the public,” Raniell said. 

“Foreseeably, cybercriminals exploited this obvious vulnerability, exfiltrated [Raniell’s] and class members’ private information from the database, and then listed this information for sale on the dark web.”

The plaintiff—who did not state his relationship to the company—said he had money stolen from his bank account after the breach.

Firm delayed telling affected parties, lawsuit states

The breach allegedly occurred in May 2021, however Raniell says he wasn’t notified of it until last November, about 18 months after it occurred. 

The firm told him the stolen data could include his driver’s license and passport number, date of birth, Social Security number, and medical and financial information.

The breach was reported to at least four state governments, including Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware and Massachusetts. Raniell says the theft of his information has devalued it and will leave him and other potential class members “at risk of identity theft and fraud for the remainder of their lifetimes.”

Raniell seeks to represent anyone in the U.S. who was affected by the data breach. 

He is suing for negligence, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment and seeks damages, fees, costs, a jury trial and an order requiring Spear Wilderman institute stronger data security measures.

Raniell is represented by Charles E. Schaffer and Nicholas J. Elia of Levin Sedran & Berman LLP, and Joseph M. Lyon of The Lyon Law Firm PC.

Were you affected by the Spear Wilderman data breach? Let us know in the comments! 

The Spear Wilderman lawsuit is Raniell v. Spear Wilderman PC, Case No. 2:23-cv-01442, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 


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