AT&T Faces Putative Class Action For Data Breach

About Lawsuits, a plaintiff’s side information site about class actions, reports that numerous lawsuits in various jurisdictions have been filed against AT&T by customers who were impacted by the massive data breach that the company reported in March 2023. The suits allege that cybersecurity failures exposed the personal information, Social Security numbers, and email addresses of more than 70 million AT&T customers.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys recently filed a motion to transfer those suits with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. It requests that all claims filed throughout the federal district court system be consolidated for pretrial proceedings before one judge, and considered as part of a multidistrict litigation.

AT&T recently sent Notice of Data Breach letters to current and former customers. They inform some recipients that their information has been compromised and give those recipients until the end of August 2024 to use an activation code to create a free Experian credit monitoring membership.

Many customers have taken to social media platforms, claiming the offer is inadequate, and that the potential for damage extends well beyond a single year. Some individuals have already suffered identity theft and fraud as a result of the breach, and are seeking legal representation to pursue compensation for expenses incurred dealing with the fraud, and its broader financial impacts.

Several ongoing lawsuits argue that the risks associated with data breaches can emerge years after the initial incident and that AT&T customers who have been compromised are entitled to actual damages and other monetary relief, as well as extended credit monitoring.