Spire Healthcare court case leads to fine
The Spire Healthcare court case has now come to a conclusion after the group was reportedly told to pay a total of £20,104.36, £5,000 of which was a fine, according to Leeds Live. The Care Quality Commission, which is understood to have never taken an independent healthcare provider to court before, pursued Spire Healthcare with legal action over allegations that the provider had allegedly delayed telling patients that they had been subjected to potentially negligent care.
The court case was not related to the medical negligence itself, but the case did concern Spire Healthcare’s reported failure to act upon the failings in patient treatment carried out by Michael Walsh, a former surgeon at the company.
As specialists in medical negligence, it always triggers alarm bells for us when we hear that negligent treatment may have been covered up or played down. Healthcare organisations have a duty to thoroughly scrutinise any suspicions of malpractice, or they could be responsible for letting patients down and putting them at risk. We are pleased to see that the Care Quality Commission has taken successful legal action in this case.
Typeform data breach claim group action update
Three years ago, survey company Typeform reported that it had been the victim of a hack, causing a breach of the information it stored for its customers. Becoming aware of the issue in late June, Typeform is understood to have found that a hacker had been able to steal from its backup of personal data. Those who were affected by data exposure due to the incident may be able to recover compensation as part of our Typeform data breach claim group action.
No one should be put in the position of having their data made vulnerable to unauthorised access and potential criminal misuse, so organisations must do everything in their power to safeguard the information that they hold. Where companies fail to protect personal data, this can constitute a breach of data protection law, and those affected can be eligible to make a compensation claim.
Anyone who was notified of their involvement in the Typeform incident can come to us for expert advice on their potential eligibility for a claim. We have been helping a number of others for a while now and claimants can be eligible for No Win, No Fee legal representation.
AX data breach- legal advice and compensation claims
If you are a customer of AX, you may have recently been contacted regarding the data breach that affected the company’s files. It is understood that the AX data breach occurred earlier this year in January, after an unauthorised third party managed to access private information held by the company.
AX, formerly known as Accident Exchange, provides vehicle hire services to those who have been involved in road traffic accidents. It may be that some of AX’s customers are involved in ongoing insurance or personal injury claims arising from their accidents, so it could be highly distressing for such victims to hear that information relating to these incidents might have been exposed.
Your personal information should never fall into the hands of an unauthorised third party but, unfortunately, some data controllers still fail to protect personal information from theft or loss. If you have been the victim of an incident like this, you may be eligible to start a compensation claim, so contact our team for advice if you think you have a case.
Ticketmaster data group action – still time to claim
Three years have passed since the Ticketmaster data breach, which affected the private information of a huge number of customers. An external hacker was able to compromise Ticketmaster’s wider systems, allowing them to steal personal details and payment data from customers making online bookings. The wide-reaching impact of this breach must be accounted for, which is why we are still pursuing our Ticketmaster data group action, aiming to help those affected by the incident to claim the compensation that they deserve.
All third-party organisations in possession of personal information must abide by the regulations set out in data protection law. Where they fail to do so, their actions (or inaction) could be regarded as a data protection breach, and those affected could then be entitled to claim compensation for any harm caused.
If you were adversely impacted by the Ticketmaster data breach, you can assert your rights using data protection law by making a compensation claim. We can offer free, no-obligation on your eligibility for a claim, and can get your claim underway swiftly if we think you could be entitled to compensation.
Recent British Airways data breach claim settlement – victims can still claim
It has recently been reported that one group of claimants in the British Airways group action have reached a settlement with the opposition. The action against the airline was initiated in response to their 2018 data breaches, in which hundreds of thousands of customers had their data subjected to unauthorised access. Although this initial British Airways data breach claim settlement has taken place, our claims against BA will continue until we win our clients the compensation that they deserve.
One law firm decided to negotiate a settlement of their claims, but due to an agreement of confidentiality, the number of the claims settled and the values of the compensation pay-outs have not been publicised. However, when compared with the 420,000 people affected by the data breach, we estimate that only a small subset of those affected have been awarded compensation so far.
We are continuing to pursue our legal action against BA, and we are confident that we will be able to succeed with the action and obtain damages for our clients. If you have yet to make a claim, make sure to start your legal case here now to avoid missing out.
Shurgard data breach claims
If you were affected by the Shurgard data breach of June 2018, you may still have a chance to claim compensation. We were alerted to the breach soon after it occurred and began representing people who had their information exposed.
The Shurgard data breach was caused by an internal employee error within the company, which led to the unintentional exposure of highly sensitive employee data. Those affected may have been made to feel insecure in their own workplace, a position that they should never have been put in.
In fact, all businesses and organisations who hold personal data have an obligation to protect it in compliance with data protection law. When a data controller neglects its responsibilities, they may be in breach of key data regulations, enabling the victims to make compensation claims. Those who were affected by Shurgard data breach can contact us to receive free and no-obligation advice on their eligibility to make a claim.
Steering Committee in group actions
As specialists in group actions, we are used to representing huge client cohorts to fight against common defendants. Many people may have a basic understanding of what a group action is, but most may not know exactly how the legal proceedings work in these lawsuits. A Steering Committee is normally one of the key elements needed to bring a group action to court.
We are always keen to demystify consumer claims for our clients, as we believe that understanding more about the process can help them to feel confident and reassured about their claim. Any claimants who join our group actions can be sure that we will keep them updated at every step of the process.
Renault diesel emissions investigations lead to charge for carmaker
The Renault diesel emissions investigations in France have now given way to a charge relating to alleged deceit against the carmaker, whom prosecutors have reportedly accused of test-cheating and emissions software manipulation. Renault continues to dispute the allegations, but given the widespread emissions scandal affecting the car industry, the carmaker looks set to face further scrutiny in the courts.
In 2015, the Volkswagen ‘dieselgate’ scandal first hit the headlines after VW was accused of using illegal defeat device technology in its diesel vehicles as a means of manipulating their emissions output during testing. Since then, the majority of major carmakers have been subjected to similar allegations, leading to billions of pounds in fines and potential compensation pay-outs internationally.
Your Lawyers was the first firm to initiate formal High Court proceedings against Volkswagen in England and Wales, and were later appointed to the Steering Committee responsible for the overall conduct of the Group Litigation Order. Now, we want to ensure that all those affected by emissions irregularities have a chance to claim the compensation they could be entitled to in our emissions group actions.
Thermal windows and the car emissions scandal
Many people will have seen the countless headlines surrounding the car emissions scandal, but it can be difficult to understand exactly what methods car manufacturers might have used to cheat emissions tests. It has been suggested that some carmakers have allegedly exploited so-called ‘thermal windows’ which could allow vehicles to still produce what could be deemed as excessive nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
If such accusations are proven to be true, it may be that many diesel vehicles have been producing significant volumes of harmful emissions. Regardless of the exact method used, any suspicions of emissions cheating should be addressed.
Following the High Court ruling that Volkswagen has been using defeat devices in certain diesel vehicles, we have started group actions against other suspected car manufacturers over similar allegations. Those who own or have previously owned affected vehicles may be entitled to recover thousands of pounds in compensation.
Claim in the Porsche emissions compensation action
Ever since the news of the Volkswagen “dieselgate” scandal broke in 2015, we have been investigating allegations that several other carmakers may also have engaged in the use of potentially deceitful practices by allegedly deploying defeat devices to cheat emissions tests. Porsche is one such car manufacturer that we are looking into, and with Volkswagen as its parent company, we have reason to believe that Porsche vehicles may also be associated with emissions irregularities. We have already taken on many clients for Porsche emissions compensation claims, and we continue to take action for people affected now.
Many vehicle owners may have been affected, and it could be revealed that their cars were producing illegal levels of NOx emissions without their knowledge. If this is found to be the case, Porsche could be held liable for a breach of your consumer rights, meaning that they may have to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation to each of the affected owners.
Although there may be hundreds or thousands of owners who have been affected, you can only access compensation if you sign-up to claim before any court deadlines are imposed. This is why we urge anyone who thinks that they may be affected to start their claim ASAP, and you can use our simple online sign-up form to find out if you are eligible to claim now.
Diesel emissions claims
As pioneers of car emissions litigations, we have been taking on diesel emissions claims since 2015, the year when the news of the Volkswagen “dieselgate” scandal broke. Since then, it has emerged that a number of other car manufacturers may also have allegedly installed defeat devices in their cars to potentially cheat emissions testing.
We have recently launched a new wave of emissions group actions in an effort to see that as many affected car owners as possible can claim the compensation they deserve if allegations are proven to be true. Although many of the allegations remain unproven, we have taken it upon ourselves to broaden our emissions investigations to ensure that no stone is left unturned. To achieve real justice, it is essential that all breaches of consumers’ rights are accounted for where they have taken place.
In fact, we have aimed to make our emissions claims accessible to all by offering No Win, No Fee representation to all eligible claimants. Anyone affected by the car emissions scandals can register their claims with us online today, or contact our team for complementary advice.
The third anniversary of the GDPR
This May, we have reached the third anniversary of the GDPR, which was introduced in the UK and across the EU in 2018. Seen as a momentous event for data security, the General Data Protection Regulation was predicted to overhaul data protection policies in UK businesses and organisations, affording data subjects greater rights and securities.
Designed to update data protection for the digital age, the GDPR requires that all data controllers use the appropriate technical cybersecurity measures and organisational strategies when processing and holding personal information. To some extent, important changes have been made, but it seems many data controllers have yet to fully grasp what their legal obligations are under the GDPR.
Unfortunately, there has been no major downturn in the occurrence of data breaches over the last few years, which have left countless victims worrying about the mishandling and/or exposure of their private information. Over more than 6 years of representing victims for privacy matters, we have seen how profoundly victims have been affected by incidents. We will be here to support victims in making data breach claims for as long as organisations neglect their data protection duties.