Government Employee Sues United States, Fed. Agencies Over 2015 Data Breach

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A proposed class action claims the protected personal information of government employees was stolen in a data breach in early 2015 due to negligence on the part of the United States and several government agencies. Filed against The United States of America, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the suit alleges the defendants failed to protect the personal information of individuals employed at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, and the Office of the Secretary/Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians.

Citing a report released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the lawsuit claims the OPM and DHS were aware that “a hacking incident was underway” back in March 2014 but failed to adequately monitor and prevent the resulting data breach that occurred in the spring of 2015. In the breach, the suit continues, government employees' social security numbers, dates of birth, financial information, background checks, and other identifying information was stolen.

The case argues that the defendants “knew for years that they had archaic, inadequate systems in place” to protect their employees’ private information but failed to take reasonable steps towards maintaining efficient security.