Baldor Specialty Foods Hit with Class Action Over February 2023 Data Breach

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims inadequate cybersecurity is to blame for a February 2023 cyberattack that compromised the personal data of “potentially thousands” of Baldor Specialty Foods employees.

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The 53-page lawsuit says that although Baldor, one of the largest importers and distributors of fresh produce and specialty foods in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, first discovered unauthorized activity on its network on February 25, a subsequent investigation revealed that hackers had in fact accessed the company’s systems at various times since February 7. The suit relays that the information compromised in the breach included current and former employees’ full names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, insurance details and other benefits information.

The case argues that Baldor Foods failed to implement reasonable data security measures to protect the private information stored in its systems—information that was allegedly unencrypted and kept “in a condition vulnerable to cyberattacks.”

In addition, the company failed to promptly and adequately notify victims of the breach, the complaint contends. Per the filing, the notice letters sent to impacted individuals did not explain how the cybercriminals gained access to the network, when Baldor Foods concluded its formal investigation or what steps are being taken to protect employee data in the future.

The plaintiff, a New York resident and former Baldor Foods employee, received notice on April 7 of this year informing him that his sensitive information had been compromised in the breach, the lawsuit says. The man, like other victims, has apparently been offered two years of complimentary identity monitoring services by the company. The suit charges, however, that this gesture is “wholly inadequate” in the face of the lifelong risks that the plaintiff and other victims now suffer.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone whose personal information was compromised in the data breach and who received notice from Baldor Specialty Foods.

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