SouthState Bank class action claims data breach exposed customer data

SouthState Bank class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiffs Henry Thompson and George Vargha filed a class action lawsuit against SouthState Bank NA.
• Why: Thompson and Vargha say their personally identifiable information was compromised in a SouthState Bank data breach, which they claim could have been prevented with stronger security protections.
• Where: The SouthState Bank class action lawsuit was filed in Florida federal court.

SouthState Bank NA’s failure to adequately protect customer data left it vulnerable to a data breach, according to claims made in a new SouthState Bank class action lawsuit.

Plaintiffs Henry Thompson and George Vargha say they were SouthState Bank customers prior to the data breach. According to their lawsuit, they provided all of the personally identifiable information (PII) required by SouthState Bank when setting up and believed this sensitive data would be adequately protected from cybercriminals based on the bank’s promises.

A data breach notice was reportedly mailed March 29, about a month after unauthorized parties accessed their network. The bank notified customers that their names, financial account numbers and Social Security numbers may have been exposed.

“Omitted from the notice letter were the details of the root cause of the [SouthState Bank data breach], the vulnerabilities exploited and the remedial measures undertaken to ensure such a breach does not occur again,” the plaintiffs say.

SouthState Bank class action: Customers at increased risk of identity theft, fraud

SouthState Bank knew or should have known about the importance of protecting highly sensitive consumer data because of the increasing number of highly publicized data breaches occurring throughout the country, the SouthState Bank class action claims. 

Nonetheless, the lawsuit claims, SouthState Bank failed to adequately safeguard customer PII.

As a result of the SouthState Bank data breach, affected customers will be at increased risk of cyberattacks, identity theft and scam attempts, Thompson and Vargha say.

To mitigate these risks, data breach victims must invest time, money and energy to monitor access to their accounts and credit for signs of unauthorized access or attempted fraud, the SouthState Bank class action lawsuit alleges.

Although SouthState Bank offered one year of identity theft protection services to affected customers, the plaintiffs say this offer is inadequate because their risks of identity theft and fraud will continue well into the future.

The SouthState Bank class action lawsuit asserts claims for negligence, negligence per se, breach of contract, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment and breach of fiduciary duty.

Last year, CenterState Bank reached a $2.65 million class action settlement over allegations it charged illegal overdraft fees and non-sufficient funds fees.

Were you affected by the SouthState Bank data breach? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

Thompson and Vargha are represented by Jeff Ostrow, Jonathan Streisfeld and Kristen Lake Cardoso of Kopelowitz Ostrow PA and Paul J. Doolittle of Pulin Willey Anastopoulo LLC.

The SouthState Bank data breach class action lawsuit is Henry Thompson, et al. v. SouthState Bank NA, Case No. 8:24-cv-00859-MSS-AAS, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

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