Unum data breach affects half a million consumers, class action claims

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Unum data breach class action overview: 

• Who: An Unum Group customer is suing the insurance giant.
• Why: The plaintiff says the company failed to protect its computer systems from cybercriminals, leading to hackers obtaining medical information and private identification information of over half a million people.
• Where: The Unum data breach class action was filed in a Tennessee federal court. 

Insurance company Unum Group failed to protect its computer systems from a data breach, leading to hackers obtaining the medical information and private identification information of over half a million people, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Kyle Marks filed the class action lawsuit against Unum Group on Aug. 17 in a Tennessee federal court, alleging negligence. 

According to the lawsuit, Unum failed to safeguard the protected health information and personally identifiable information of over 530,000 people in a cyberattack the insurer allegedly discovered June 1.

As a result, consumers’ highly sensitive private information — including names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, medical and health insurance claim information — was stolen, the lawsuit alleges.

Unum delayed telling customers about breach, lawsuit alleges      

Unum did not advise customers of the data breach for more than two months, the lawsuit alleges.

While Unum claims it discovered the data breach June 1, it did not inform the people whose information was accessed until Aug. 9, the lawsuit alleges. The monthslong delay to inform him and the class was a breach of Unum’s duty to notify, Marks alleges.                        

“Even today, representative plaintiff and class members remain in the dark regarding what data was stolen, the particular malware used, and what steps are being taken to secure their PHI/PII in the future,” the lawsuit states. 

“Indeed, they are left to further speculate as to the full impact of the data breach and how the defendant intends to enhance its information security systems and monitoring capabilities to prevent further breaches.”

Marks seeks to represent anyone who had their personal information exposed in the data breach. He is suing for negligence, breach of implied contract, breach of confidence, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment and seeks certification of the class, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial, as well as a strengthening of Unum’s data security practices. 

In 2019, an Unum policyholder filed a lawsuit against the insurer, saying the company wrongly denied her long-term disability benefits.

What do you think of the claims against Unum in this case? Let us know in the comments.

Marks is represented by David McLaughlin of the Law Office of David A. McLaughlin and Daniel Srourian of Srourian Law Firm PC.

The Unum class action lawsuit is Kyle Marks v. Unum Group, Case No. 1:23-cv-00181, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. 

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