Andy Serwin provides background and analysis of yesterday’s Ninth Circuit decision that plaintiffs had Article III standing in a lawsuit stemming from a stolen Starbucks laptop: Standing is a key issue in privacy litigation, and it is an issue related to damages, though courts at times reach conclusions regarding standing that are inconsistent with their findings…
U.S. Bank Hit with Class Action Suit Alleging Data Breach Cover-Up
Jason C. Gavejian writes: Paintball Punks filed a class action suit against U.S. Bank in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The case was subsequently removed on December 6, 2010, to the Minneapolis District Court. In the complaint, Paintball Punks alleges that between August and December 2009 it received 9 orders totaling approximately $11,000, which were fraudulently billed…
Do Walgreens, McDonald’s, and deviantART breaches have common point of compromise? (updated)
Dan Goodin reports: FBI agents looking into the theft of customer data belonging to McDonald’s are investigating similar breaches that may have hit more than 100 other companies that used email marketing services from Atlanta-based Silverpop Systems . “The breach is with Silverpop, an email service provider that has over 105 customers,” Stephen Emmett, a…
FL: Home Depot Employee Arrested for Skimming Customer Card Data
On December 8, 2010 the Loss Prevention Officer from The Home Depot store located at 1490 Capital Circle Northwest contacted the United States Secret Service about an employee who had been observed stealing credit card information from customers. Special Agents from the United States Secret Service then contacted the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the…
Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty to Illegally Accessing Confidential Student Loan Files
Another snooping case: An Illinois woman pleaded guilty today to illegally accessing numerous confidential student loan files, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division announced. Charlotte M. Robinson, 46, of Dolton, Ill., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox in the Northern District of Illinois to a one-count criminal information…
Starbucks May Be Aren’t Liable for Workers’ ID Theft Risk (updated)
Tim Hull reports the latest on a lawsuit that stemmed from a case involving a stolen laptop in 2008: Starbucks employees whose personal information was stolen with a company laptop can sue the coffee kahuna for negligence, the 9th Circuit ruled Tuesday. About 97,000 current and former Starbucks employees were exposed to identity theft in…