Equifax Hit With Another Class Action Over Breach
West Haven resident Natalie Quagliani filed the suit in the wake of a massive data breach that affected millions of Americans.
October 05, 2017 at 02:48 PM
3 minute read
Equifax has been hit with another prospective class action lawsuit—this time in Connecticut—by a woman who claims the company's massive data breach is an invasion of privacy that could lead to identity theft.
West Haven resident Natalie Quagliani filed the suit, one of at least 23 class actions filed against the credit-reporting giant nationwide, in U.S. District Court in Connecticut Tuesday. Court records show that the cyberattack, which occurred from May to late July, provided unauthorized access to personal information, including Social Security numbers, for nearly 44 percent of the population, or about 143 million people.
The prospective class action is for Connecticut residents only.
In the suit, Quagliani said she was told by Equifax that she's likely a victim of the breach.
“Quagliani and the Class have suffered significant economic damage in that they will almost certainly be required to incur significant costs for the rest of their respective lives,” according to the lawsuit. Those costs includes purchasing credit monetary services or credit repair services from third-party providers.
The lawsuit claims Atlanta-based Equifax was aware of security holes in its cyber defense as early as March. Equifax data was hacked in mid-May and again in July, but the company did not publicly report the breaches until Sept. 7.
“It is deeply troubling that apparently Equifax was seemingly motivated to drag its heels notifying consumers,” the lawsuit continues.
Equifax is accused of willful violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act; negligent violation of the FCRA; violation of the Connecticut General Statutes related to the protection of Social Security numbers; failure to provide timely notification of data breach as required by state statutes; unfair trade practices in violation of state statutes; and common-law negligence.
The lawsuit seeks class action status to seek compensatory, punitive, and statutory damages, and attorney fees. The lawsuit also seeks to force Equifax to provide free credit monitoring or free credit repair services.
Quagliani is represented by partners Steven Moore and James Nealon of Withers Bergman in Old Greenwich. Neither Moore nor Nealon responded to a request for comment Thursday.
An Equifax representative said: “We cannot comment on pending litigation, but want to reassure consumers that we are remaining focused on helping them to navigate this situation and providing the best customer support possible. We are listening to issues consumers have experienced and their suggestions, which are helping to further inform our actions as we continue to improve this process.”
The case will be heard in front of Judge Stefan Underhill.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllPharmacies Accuse GoodRx of 'Inviting Price-Fixing' in Series of Antitrust Class Actions
4 minute readProgressive Hit With Class Action After Allegedly Unlawfully Denying Collision Coverage
3 minute read$2.8B Antitrust Settlement Will Have Long-Term Impacts on Insurance Industry, Say Attorneys Behind Accord
Trending Stories
- 1As 'Red Hot' 2024 for Legal Industry Comes to Close, Leaders Reflect and Share Expectations for Next Year
- 2Call for Nominations: Elite Trial Lawyers 2025
- 3Senate Judiciary Dems Release Report on Supreme Court Ethics
- 4Senate Confirms Last 2 of Biden's California Judicial Nominees
- 5Morrison & Foerster Doles Out Year-End and Special Bonuses, Raises Base Compensation for Associates
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250