in Newswire Published on December 10, 2021

Class Action Filed Over Oct. 2021 Planned Parenthood Data Breach Affecting More Than 400,000 Patients [UPDATE]

Last Updated on April 19, 2024

K.O. v. Planned Parenthood Los Angeles

Filed: December 9, 2021 ◆§ 2:21-cv-09563

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles faces a class action that alleges an October 2021 data breach stemmed from the facility’s failure to secure patients’ highly sensitive information.

Defendant(s)

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles

Law(s)

California Unfair Competition Law California Confidentiality Of Medical Information Act California Consumer Records Act

State(s)

California

April 19, 2024 – Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Settles Data Breach Lawsuit for $6 Million

The proposed class action detailed on this page was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff in January 2022, but Planned Parenthood Los Angeles has agreed to settle a similar data breach lawsuit for $6 million.

Are you owed unclaimed settlement money? Check out our class action rebates page full of open class action settlements.

The deal, which received preliminary approval from the court on January 2, 2024, covers anyone who received a notice from Planned Parenthood Los Angeles in or around November 2021 about the data breach it experienced. More than 409,000 people have been identified as class members, court documents state.

According to the official Planned Parenthood settlement website, class members have until July 6, 2024 to file a claim for benefits. To submit a claim online, head to this page and enter your last name and the claim number in the settlement notice you received via mail or email.

Those who submit a valid, timely claim can receive three years of credit monitoring and identity theft insurance services, as well as a pro-rated cash payment.

Eligible individuals may also submit a claim to receive $30 for every hour spent addressing issues “fairly traceable” to the data breach, with a cap of $210, the site says. To collect this claim, class members must provide documentation demonstrating the time spent dealing with the effects of the breach.

In addition to these benefits, class members who submit a claim with documentation of out-of-pocket losses “fairly traceable” to the data breach can be reimbursed up to $10,000.

The site states that class members will not receive their payments until after the settlement receives final approval from the court. A final approval hearing is scheduled for August 8, 2024.

Also as part of the deal, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles has agreed to implement certain cybersecurity measures to secure its systems from future data breaches.

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Planned Parenthood Los Angeles faces a proposed class action that alleges an October 2021 data breach stemmed from the facility’s negligent failure to secure patients’ highly sensitive information.

The 24-page complaint says the personally identifiable information of more than 400,000 Planned Parenthood patients nationwide was exposed in the breach, which started around October 9 and was not discovered until October 17, 2021. The lawsuit says that files extracted by the unauthorized party behind the incident included patient names, dates of birth, addresses, insurance identification numbers and clinical data, including diagnoses, treatment and prescription details.

According to the suit, Planned Parenthood failed to properly safeguard patient data despite having been hacked in 2015 and 2020. The lawsuit calls this latest incident “particularly egregious” in light of numerous other high-profile cybersecurity attacks and data breaches of late.

The lawsuit stresses that the kind of information exfiltrated in the Planned Parenthood data breach is extremely sensitive in nature given the abortion and family planning services and sexually transmitted disease testing the facility provides, and the current moment in which the constitutionality of certain abortion laws is under attack.

“Because Planned Parenthood provides these highly private services—and because it has become a lightning rod for public debate around abortion restrictions—the exfiltrated information, including Plaintiff’s identity, is of the utmost sensitivity,” the lawsuit says. “Particularly given its highly confidential nature, the information compromised in the Data Breach is valuable to hackers, who may try to sell it on the black market.”

The case argues that the timing of the Planned Parenthood data breach makes it more likely that hackers will exploit the stolen information or seek ransom payments for its return. Victims affected by the data breach will face a significant threat of identity theft and other harm for years to come, according to the filing.

The lawsuit says a letter sent by Planned Parenthood around November 30, 2021 informed patients of the breach and advised them to take protective measures. The letter stated Planned Parenthood experienced “suspicious activity” on its computer network and that an unauthorized party or parties removed certain files.

Planned Parenthood is bound by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to ensure that patients’ health information is kept private, and to timely notify the individuals when a breach occurs, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit looks to cover all United States citizens and residents whose personally identifiable information was in Planned Parenthood’s electronic information systems and was compromised as a result of the October 2021 breach.

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