Claiming for group action data breaches in 2019

We have taken forward a few new group action compensation cases for data breaches in 2019, as the number of events continues to grow.

Now, the majority of the group and multi-party actions that we’re fighting for justice in involve some kind of data issue. This is simply because of the sheer volume of events that are taking place, as well as the fact that the law allows victims to be able to claim damages.

We thought that the introduction of the GDPR would lead to a decline in the number of events, but it feels like this hasn’t been the case so far. Now, more than ever, our work in representing victims for data breaches has never been more important.

Some notable new actions

There have been a few notable new group actions that have stemmed from data breaches in 2019 or developments that have taken place this year.

We saw at the start of the year the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) data breach that may have affected as many as 120,000 people. There was also the fine that was issued to parenting club Bounty over information misuse that resulted in victims asking us for help.

The scandal involving The Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust staff snooping on medical records for some 2,000 patients was another reminder about the damage that a lack of procedures and protocols can lead to. Perhaps one of the most notable ones was the Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic email leak that was practically the same as what happened in the infamous 56 Dean Street Clinic leak that we’re dealing with. Personal and sensitive data has been leaked, and we’re representing a number of victims who have come forward and asked for our help.

The big BA Group Action development

Although the BA one doesn’t fall into the category of data breaches in 2019 specifically, we did see a significant development in October this year.

A Group Litigation Order (GLO) was given the formal go ahead by Mr Justice Warby, making the British Airways Group Action the first post-GDPR GLO of its kind. We were also appointed to the Steering Committee that’s responsible for the overall conduct of the litigation, which we believe is a testament to our hard work fighting for justice in this action, as well as our history of pioneering actions for victims of data breaches in general.

There’s still time to join the BA compensation action, which you can do on the BA Group Action website here. We’re offering No Win, No Fee representation for the clients that we represent.

Why hasn’t GDPR changed things?

Given the number of data breaches in 2019 that have taken place, the introduction of the GDPR doesn’t appear to have changed a lot.

You would expect that the media surrounding the GPDR highlighted clearly what organisations need to do. You would also expect that the levels of fines that can be imposed would also act as a clear deterrent to ensure that organisations prevent breaches. Yet, post-GDPR, we have seen a number of high-profile events.

Perhaps when the BA Group Action concludes, which may lead to an estimated pay-out of around £3bn in total, organisations will finally realise that they must prevent breaches taking place, or face the monumental costs of dealing with the fallout of an incident.

For help and advice about making a data breach compensation claim, make sure you speak to our team for a free, no-obligation assessment of your case today.