The problems over the AMCA data breach continue to mount. Now, a class action lawsuit has been filed against both AMCA and Quest Diagnostics.
Drama over the AMCA data breach is continuing to escalate. The breach first hit the news earlier this month when we reported on Quest Diagnostics having 12 million patients compromised. Shortly after, LabCorp wound up going public, saying they had 7.7 million patients exposed in the breach.
The problem was then traced to a company responsible for handling financial information of these patients: AMCA. Yesterday, we reported that the AMCA data breach has grown to 20 million patients. The breach covers even more laboratory clinics as well. At least one lab didn’t disclose how many patients were affected, so it is possible that number can climb. When news first broke, AMCA disclosed that only 200,000 patients had their information exposed. That number has since ballooned 100 times over.
Now, litigation paperwork is being filed against both AMCA and Quest Diagnostics. According to Forbes, the lawsuit is being headed up by law firm Morgan and Morgan. From the report:
According to the class action lawsuit filed by the law firm Morgan and Morgan, there are approximately 11.9 million class members who may expect compensation for the breach. The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million for potential damages. Many of the victims may be at risk of identity fraud and other criminal actions because of the data exposure, according to a recent report from USA Today.
“Healthcare companies are especially susceptible to data breaches not only because they aggregate a tremendous amount of important and sensitive data, but also because they tend to be less focused on cyber security protection than other industries,” Morgan & Morgan attorney John Yanchunis said in a statement. “These companies, like Quest Diagnostics, know they are at an increased risk and yet have not taken the proper steps to protect their patients’ data. We will fight for justice on behalf of those impacted by this breach.”
One thing is for sure, things are continuing to escalate very quickly in this case.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
