Morgan & Morgan Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Shorter University Over Alleged Data Theft
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) February 26, 2015 -- Morgan & Morgan has filed a class action lawsuit* against Shorter University over a September 2014 incident in which hundreds of current and former students’ personal and medical information was allegedly stolen out of a filing cabinet in an unlocked room on campus.
Filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, several plaintiffs, who are former members of Shorter University’s athletic program, allege the school “failed to safeguard and secure personally identifiable” student information, including birth dates, Social Security numbers, and billing information, as well as “personal health-related information,” according to court documents. On or around September 23, 2014, court documents say, records for as many as 900 current and former Shorter students were allegedly stolen from an unlocked filing cabinet in an unlocked room by “an unauthorized person.” Plaintiffs, whose records were maintained by Shorter University from at least 2007 to 2014, had their personal medical records stored at Shorter after they underwent physical examinations, a prerequisite necessary to participate in Shorter’s athletic program.
Although the school sent letters to some individuals notifying them of the data breach, they did not reach every student subject to the theft, and some students did not receive any message that their information may have been stolen, according to allegations contained in court documents. As these plaintiffs prepared to file their tax returns, according to court documents, they were allegedly informed that someone had already used their Social Security number and other information to file their tax returns and claim their tax refunds.
For any current students or Shorter alumni who believe their information may have been taken, however, attorney John Yanchunis offered some advice pertaining to getting ahead of the problem before it can get any worse.
“Place a fraud alert with the credit reporting companies," Yanchunis said. "Get your free credit reports, and create an Identity Theft report by filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and your local police department.”
To contact Morgan & Morgan about this data breach, please visit http://www.ForThePeople.com/free-case-evaluation.
About Morgan & Morgan
Morgan & Morgan is one of the largest plaintiffs’ law firms in the country with more than 20 offices throughout Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and New York. The firm handles cases nationally involving personal injury, medical malpractice, consumer class action, and securities fraud, as well as complex litigation against drug and medical device manufacturers. Visit Morgan & Morgan online at http://www.forthepeople.com/ for a free case evaluation and information about your legal rights.
*Case no. 4:15-cv-00033, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division
Rachel Soffin, Morgan and Morgan, http://www.forthepeople.com, +1 (877) 667-4265, [email protected]
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