Sony settles employees’ class action suit for up to $8M

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The Sony data breach in 2014 was one of the most significant breaches experienced and was a first on many fronts. It was alleged to have been caused by North Korean hackers (calling themselves Guardians of Peace) seeking to disrupt the release of the movie “The Interview,” which did not look kindly on North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

The hack caused substantial damage to Sony’s computer system and data and the release of confidential emails reverberated throughout the entertainment industry. The intrusion also included access to and posting the personal information of Sony’s employees on line.

As a result of the hacking incident, Sony employees filed a class action lawsuit against Sony alleging poor security practices that resulted in the release of their personal information. The class included 437,000 certified class members. Although the settlement was announced last fall, it was approved by a federal judge in California last week.

The terms of the settlement include up to $10,000 per individual who suffered identity theft losses, plus $1,000-$3,000 for the initial named plaintiffs, providing identity theft protection services for the class members through 2017, and a fund to compensate members who paid for their own credit monitoring following the breach. And on top of that, the settlement includes $3.4M for the attorneys.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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