Lifelong Medical Care, a community health center network operator, is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly failing to protect patients' personal information during a ransomware attack more than three years ago.
The plaintiffs, Noem Margolies, Herman Cowan, and Mary Scott, claim that Lifelong did not implement adequate security measures to safeguard sensitive data such as names, addresses, social security numbers, and medical records.
The breach was allegedly discovered on Nov. 24, 2020 by Netgain Technology LLC, a third-party IT service provider for Lifelong. It was determined that unauthorized access had been gained to files containing the personal and health information of patients.
However, it wasn't until August 9, 2021 that Lifelong confirmed the breach and only notified affected patients around Aug. 24, 2021. The lawsuit alleges that the delay in notification was misleading and inadequate.
According to the lawsuit, the exact number of affected patients is currently unknown, but it's believed to be at least 115,000.
The suit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court in December 2022 by Kazerouni Law Group APC, of Costa Mesa, and HammondLaw PC, of Tacoma, Washington, on behalf of the plaintiffs and proposed class members.
The lawsuit was removed to federal court in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Jan. 19, 2024.