PruittHealth class action lawsuit accuses company of liability for 2023 data breach

Overview of the PruittHealth class action lawsuit:

• WHO: Plaintiff Tina Clayton has filed a class action lawsuit against PruittHealth Inc.
• Why: Clayton alleges that PruittHealth had inadequate data security measures in place, leaving the company’s systems vulnerable to a data breach in 2023.
• Where: The PruittHealth class action lawsuit was filed in federal court in the state of Georgia.

A new class action lawsuit against PruittHealth accuses the healthcare provider of failing to adequately protect its data, leading to a data breach in 2023 that potentially compromised the personal information of more than 56,000 consumers.

Plaintiff Tina Clayton, a former PruittHealth employee, alleges that hackers were able to access the company’s systems due to “inadequate security” of the healthcare company’s data.

The hackers allegedly gained access to PruittHealth’s systems in November 2023 and threatened to publish the stolen data if the company did not pay a ransom.

On December 7, 2023, the hackers claimed they had published the stolen data on their blog, but the site was taken down before forensic experts could access it, according to PruittHealth’s class action lawsuit.

Because the hackers’ website was taken offline, PruittHealth said it could not confirm whose information was exposed.

Plaintiff: Data theft at PruittHealth exposes victims to identity theft and fraud

Clayton says she was not informed about the data breach at PruittHealth for more than six months.

“As a result of the data breach, plaintiffs and class members face an increased and immediate risk of fraud and identity theft,” the PruittHealth class action lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs and class members must closely monitor their financial accounts now and in the future to protect themselves from identity theft.”

Information stolen in the PruittHealth data breach reportedly includes names, dates of birth, social security numbers, bank account information, insurance data, and health records.

Clayton alleges that PruittHealth failed to implement minimum cybersecurity standards, using outdated computers, failing to train employees on email security and password protection, and failing to implement procedures to deal with ransomware attacks.

Although Clayton isn’t sure if her information was exposed in the PruittHealth data breach, she has spent a lot of time trying to limit the potential damage.

She says she now checks her bank and credit card accounts daily and spends about an hour a week monitoring her accounts for signs of fraud.

“Plaintiff and class members face a substantial risk of out-of-pocket losses from fraud, such as loans taken out in their names, medical services billed in their names, tax fraud, utility bills issued in their names, credit card fraud, and similar identity theft,” Clayton alleges.

The PruittHealth class action lawsuit asserts claims for negligence, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and unjust enrichment.

Ascension Health was recently awarded a similar Class action lawsuit for data breach She claims that the healthcare company failed to protect its data, allowing hackers access to its systems.

Were you affected by the PruittHealth data breach? Share your experience with us in the comments.

Clayton is represented by Ainsworth G. Dudley of Dudley Law LLC and Jarrett L. Ellzey and Leigh Montgomery of Ellzey & Associates PLLC.

The Class action lawsuit over data breach at PruittHealth Is Tina Clayton v. PruittHealth Inc.Case No. 1:24-cv-02960-TWT, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

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