Associated Press reports: A Florida law restricting what doctors can tell patients about gun ownership was deemed to be constitutional Friday by a federal appeals court, which said it legitimately regulates professional conduct and doesn’t violate the doctors’ First Amendment free speech rights. The ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta…
Nexogy sued over web exposure of customers’ information (updated)
Here’s a breach I don’t recall seeing and that I only learned about because of a lawsuit. Law360 reports: A putative class action filed Wednesday in Florida state court claims that Nexogy Inc. and its parent LD Telecommunications released customers’ private information, including financial data, on the Internet, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft. Cassandra…
Michaels Breach Lawsuits Dismissed
Tracy Kitten reports: A district court in Illinois has dismissed a consolidated consumer class action lawsuit seeking damages from Michaels Stores Inc. for a card breach the arts and crafts retailer suffered starting in 2013. In a 20-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo says the six plaintiffs named in the consolidated suits failed to prove that they suffered “actual economic…
Examining FTC's Data Security Enforcement
Marianne Kolbasuk McGee reports: Is the Federal Trade Commission overstepping its regulatory authority – and using questionable sources of information – in pursuing data security enforcement actions against companies, including healthcare entities, for alleged unfair and deceptive trade practices? Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform considered that and other questions during…
Jury finds former head of Texas hospital chain guilty of fraudulently billing Medicare
AP reports the conviction of a doctor in a case previously noted on this blog: A North Texas physician who ran a now-closed hospital near Dallas has been convicted of conspiracy, identity theft and health care fraud. A federal jury in Tyler found Dr. Tariq Mahmood guilty Thursday of more than $1 million in fraudulent…
Army: Patient IDs wrongly trashed at Fort Rucker base hospital in Alabama
AP reports: The military says as many as 2,300 patients are affected by a breach of personal information at the Lyster Army Health Clinic at Fort Rucker. Paper records with the names and Social Security numbers of patients were tossed into a recycling bin at the southeast Alabama base on July 2. The Army says no…