Equifax wants the lawsuits connected to its 2017 data breach dismissed

Equifax Inc. wants the lawsuits connected to its 2017 data breach dismissed, arguing that the breach caused no injuries and that it has no obligation to secure its data, which spans millions of consumers and financial institutions.

As reported by Law.com’s Daily Report, Equifax attorney David Balser filed two motions on July 16 to dismiss the class-action lawsuits filed against the company by consumers and financial institutions after its 2017 data breach – which compromised the personal information of 143 million consumers, including some Canadians – arguing that the claims were based on an unprecedented, “far-fetched,” and “attenuated theory of liability.”

In other words, that Equifax had no obligation – that, legally speaking, it owed no duty of care – to secure its customers’ personal information.

In filing the motion, Balser cited a May 11 decision by the Georgia Court of Appeals, which ruled that the Georgia Department of Labor owed no duty of care to more than 4,000 applicants for unemployment benefits after the Department inadvertently exposing personal data including Social Security numbers in an email.

Absolving itself of responsibility to secure the data it collects about consumers whether they want it to or not wasn’t Equifax’s only defense. According to Law.com reporter Amanda Bronstad, Balser filed an argument common in data breach cases: that the majority of plaintiffs filing suits against the company could not do so in U.S. federal court because their cases weren’t based on injuries, but speculation about the risk of identity theft.

In a statement, Norman Siegel, an attorney for the consumer plaintiffs, called it “extraordinary” that Equifax would argue that “it does not owe a duty to Americans to keep their data protected.”

“This position is contrary to the public statements Equifax has made, including its former CEO’s testimony before Congress that ‘We at Equifax clearly understood that the collection of American consumer information and data carries with it enormous responsibility to protect that data. We did not live up to that responsibility,'” Siegel wrote.

According to Law.com’s Bronstad, the consumer plaintiffs will be responding on Aug. 13, and the financial plaintiffs on Aug. 30.

Neither attorney Joseph Guglielmo, who represents the financial plaintiffs, nor Balser responded to Bronstad’s request for comment, while an Equifax press officer declined to comment.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Eric Emin Wood
Eric Emin Wood
Former editor of ITBusiness.ca turned consultant with public relations firm Porter Novelli. When not writing for the tech industry enjoys photography, movies, travelling, the Oxford comma, and will talk your ear off about animation if you give him an opening.

Featured Story

How the CTO can Maintain Cloud Momentum Across the Enterprise

Embracing cloud is easy for some individuals. But embedding widespread cloud adoption at the enterprise level is...

Related Tech News

Get ITBusiness Delivered

Our experienced team of journalists brings you engaging content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives delivered directly to your inbox.

Featured Tech Jobs