Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
Shields data breach class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: James Buechler, Julie Colby, John Kennedy, Sharon Pimental, and Cindy Tapper filed a class action lawsuit against Shields Health Care Group Inc.
- Why: Buechler, Colby, Kennedy, Pimental, and Tapper claim Shields failed to prevent a March 2022 data breach that exposed the sensitive information of around two million of its patients.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Massachusetts federal court.
Shields Health Care Group allowed third-party criminal hackers to gain access to its computer systems during a March 2022 data breach that exposed the sensitive information of around two million patients, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs James Buechler, Julie Colby, John Kennedy, Sharon Pimental, and Cindy Tapper claim Shields was made aware of the data breach in late March but allegedly failed to follow the law by not disclosing it within 60 days.
“Notably, Shields failed to notify Plaintiffs of the Data Breach for more than two months from its discovery of the same,” states the Shields class action.
The group of patients argue further that Shields had collected their personally identifiable information and protected health information “in confidence” and had a duty to “secure, maintain, protect, and safeguard” it.
“Plaintiffs’ and Class Members’ sensitive and private personal information ‒ entrusted to Defendant, its officials, and agents ‒ was compromised, unlawfully accessed, and stolen due to the Data Breach,” states the Shields class action.
Buechler, Colby, Kenny, Pimental, and Tapper want to represent a nationwide class and subclasses of Maryland, Maine, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire consumers who had their private information exposed during the Shields data breach in March 2022.
Shields data breach a ‘devastating privacy intrusion,’ say patients
Sensitive information exposed during the data breach included names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, medical record numbers, and insurance information, among other things, according to the Shields class action.
Patients argue Shields alleged failure to protect their information during the data breach was also a “devastating privacy intrusion” that has increased the risk of their identities being exposed.
“Armed with the Private Information accessed in the Data Breach, data thieves have data from Shields to commit a variety of crimes,” states the Shields class action.
Buechler, Colby, Kenny, Pimental, and Tapper claim Shields is guilty of breach of confidence, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligent misrepresentation, among other things, and in violation of the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act and the Maryland Consumer Protection Act, among other things.
Plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with an award of statutory, treble, and punitive or exemplary damages for themselves and all class members.
In another data breach involving a healthcare provider, Michigan Medicine revealed last October that it was the victim of a data breach that it said possibly exposed the private health information of almost 34,000 patients.
Have you been impacted by a data breach? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by Block & Leviton LLP, George Gesten McDonald PLLC, Lynch Carpenter LLP, Barrack Rodos & Bacine, Kantrowitz Goldhamer & Graifman PC, Finkelstein Blankenship Freipearson & Garber LLP, Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman PLLC, Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group, Scott + Scott Attorneys at Law LLP, Sweeney Merrigan Law LLP, and Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLC.
The Shields data breach class action lawsuit is Biscan, et al. v. Shields Health Care Group Inc., Case No. 1:22-cv-10901, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
13 thoughts onShields Health Care Group class action alleges health care company hid data breach
I’ve received 2 letters from Sheilds that my information was compromised.
I just got another letter from shields that my child’s info w
as compromised,
I have two letters from this company and I missed the UMMH suit this month. The hospital uses this healthcare system and obi not a very good one ! because this has happened before Shields should have known . My previous letter is from almost a year ago ! This is just sloppy and unacceptable.