Christie Clinic
Data Breach


The Lyon Firm is actively involved in healthcare data breach lawsuits nationwide
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Data Breach Lawyers

Investigating Christie Clinic data breach claims

The Lyon Firm is actively involved in healthcare privacy and data theft cases and is currently investigating Christie Clinic data breach claims on behalf of victims in Illinois and nationwide.

According to a recent filing by the company, Christie Clinic reported suspicious activity on a company email account. Christie Clinic began an investigation of the security incident and confirmed that between July 14, 2021 and August 19, 2021, an unauthorized party accessed the email account and its contents.

Compromised information may include the following:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Social Security number
  • Medical information
  • Health insurance information

On March 10, 2022, Christie Clinic identified the impacted individuals and began sending out data breach notification letters.

Established in 1928, Christie Clinic (Christie Business Holding Company, P.C.) is an Illinois medical practice with multiple locations throughout Illinois. Christie is based in Champaign, Illinois and employs approximately 900 people.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated data breach lawyer and Privacy Attorney representing plaintiffs nationwide in class action security breach lawsuits.

Can You Sue following the Christie Clinic Data Breach?

Entities that collect and store data have a duty to protect personal information to the best of their ability. When they are negligent, and a data theft incident occurs, they may be liable for the following:

  • Improperly monitoring data security systems for existing intrusions
  • Not ensuring that vendors with access to computer systems and data employ reasonable security procedures
  • Improperly training employees in handling emails containing personal data and maintain adequate email security practices
  • Failure to implement technical policies and procedures to allow electronic data access only to individuals or software programs granted access rights
  • Failure to implement procedures to review records of information system activity regularly, such as audit logs, access reports and security incident tracking reports
  • Improperly protecting against reasonably anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of stored data

christie clinic data breach notification letter

An experienced class action privacy attorney can determine if you are eligible to file a data breach lawsuit or join a class of plaintiffs. Lawyers investigating the matter can assist in determining the following:

  • Did the Christie Clinic fail to adopt security safeguards that would have prevented a breach?
  • Did Christie Clinic notify customers as soon as it learned of the incident?
  • Did Christie provide a complete list of all individuals impacted?
  • Did Christie provide security in line with industry standards?

The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule calls for data breach notifications to be issued to the Secretary of the Health and Human Services “without unnecessary delay.” No later than 60 days after the date of discovery of a data breach, healthcare entities have a duty to alert the government and begin preparing to alert the public.

Consumer privacy attorneys say there has been a trend for HIPAA-regulated entities to wait as long as possible before alerting affected individuals, a practice that place consumers at a higher risk of identity theft and fraud.

In many cases, data breach notifications have been sent out many months after a security breach incident was detected. There may be valid reasons for a delay in reporting, though in some cases this institutes a severe disservice to those impacted by a data theft event.

Delays to individual data theft notifications could mean individuals’ Personal Health Information (PHI) has been in the hands of criminals for many months before they are even aware about the data theft.

Privacy lawyers claim promptly sending out individual data breach notification letters and being transparent about the fraud risk for individuals is not only ethical, but the only way to avoid stiff penalties.

The HHS has made it clear that if healthcare entities do not comply with the 60 day rule from the date of data breach discovery, they may be liable for notification violations.

Hundreds of companies across the nation have suffered data breaches in the last couple of years and have spawned dozens of class action lawsuits that seek to compensate victims for the damage and stress it has caused in their lives. If you have received a data breach notification letter, contact a data privacy lawyer to review.

Security breach settlements have recovered millions of dollars for victims. If you have been a victim of a security breach, contact a lawyer to discuss the data theft litigation process.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Privacy Attorney representing plaintiffs nationwide in class action security breach lawsuits.

What Do We Know About the Christie Clinic Data Breach?

Regardless of the reason for a security breach, victims have the right to file a claim against a company for failing to protect their information, and can lead to a class action lawsuit.

All companies and organizations must exercise reasonable care in protecting patient information, and if they do not, they can be held liable for the damages that result, including identity theft.

Security breach plaintiffs and privacy attorneys representing plaintiffs have been able to settle multi-million dollar recoveries. If you or a loved one has received notice of a data breach affecting you, or suspect signs of identity theft, contact a lawyer for a free consultation.

Individuals can be ruined financially and emotionally, and deserve proper online security measures. But many companies and hospitals violate privacy laws and consumer rights, and thus face legal action.

After a data breach turns your life upside down, remember that you are not the only victim. There are millions of Americans who suffer from data privacy every year, and in turn, seek legal action for compensation and to hold companies accountable for negligent security systems.

If you want more information on current data breach litigation and how to file a data theft class action lawsuit, contact The Lyon Firm for a free and confidential Christie Clinic case review.

How Do Data Breaches Occur?

A data breach typically occurs in malware, phishing attacks or ransomware attacks when a hacker or cybercriminal gains access to sensitive personal information that has been collected and stored on a company’s servers. Hackers often target organizations with weak or outdated security practices.

Once the information is obtained, it can be sold to third parties to use in identity theft or other fraudulent data theft schemes. Victims are at an increased risk of identity theft and financial losses.

If you have received a letter from Christie Clinic about a recent security incident, contact a class action privacy attorney.

Can You Sue For Data Breach?

Data Theft Lawyers believe companies who collect and store personal data have an ethical and legal duty to protect it to prevent data theft. Creating a proper network security system is expensive, however, and many medical facilities attempt to bypass these necessary costs. If a hospital or health entity like Christie Clinic fails to protect consumers’ and patients’ sensitive information, and data is stolen, they may be held liable.

The Lyon Firm encourages all potentially affected individuals in the security breach to act quickly and remain vigilant against potential medical identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements, medical bills and credit reports. Contact a privacy attorney to review your case.

Companies have a duty to engage in the following system security measures:

  • Properly monitor data security systems for existing intrusions
  • Ensure that vendors with access to computer systems and data employ reasonable security procedures
  • Train employees in the proper handling of emails containing PII and PHI and maintain adequate email security practices
  • Implement technical policies and procedures to allow electronic PHI access only to individuals or software programs granted access rights
  • Implement procedures to review records of information system activity regularly, such as audit logs, access reports and security incident tracking reports
  • Protect against reasonably anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of electronic PHI

What to do if You are a Victim of the Christie Data Breach?

After your data is stolen, you may always be at risk for future identity theft and fraud. But, you can protect yourself with identity theft coverage and subscribing to an ID Theft Recovery service.

It’s important to stay alert and watch for signs of illegal activity that uses your accounts. If you happen to see unusual activity, take the appropriate actions described above to help protect yourself. If you want more information on what to do when a data breach impacts you, call The Lyon Firm or visit the FTC identity theft website.

Remember that you are not the only victim of a data breach. There are millions of Americans who suffer from data privacy events, many of whom seek legal action for compensation and to hold companies accountable for negligent security systems.

Healthcare Security Breach 

The rise of healthcare hacks have left millions of patients vulnerable to stolen medical records and identity theft. The vast majority of hospitals and health insurance companies have reported medical record data breaches, and although it is unknown what can be done with medical data, patient’s financial data and personal information can easily be used in nefarious ways.

With the rise of electronic medical data storage in place of old paper files, there are more and more instances of healthcare related security breach incidents and subsequent class action lawsuits.

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

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ABOUT THE LYON FIRM

Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.

The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.

NO COST UNLESS WE WIN

The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.

photo of data breach lawyer Joe Lyon
Compensation for Victims

Can I Sue a Company for Releasing my Personal Information?

Without data breach class actions, large corporate defendants would be able to cause small amounts of harm over a large group of individuals without any risk of monetary penalty.

Holding companies accountable for poor cybersecurity and data theft incidents helps ensure that consumers are better protected in the future. 

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

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Questions About Data Breach Lawsuits

What should you do if your data is stolen?
  1. Get confirmation of the data breach and collect as many details about the incident as possible. 
  2. Contact an attorney to investigate the complex litigation involved in security breach lawsuits. 
  3. Try to find out what information was exposed and protect yourself as much as possible. 
  4. Talk to an attorney before accepting any settlement direct from a company. 
  5. Monitor your accounts and personal information closely. 
Who is liable for a data breach?

Under current privacy law the firm or organization that is storing user data are responsible for data theft incidents and will pay any fines or damages that are the result of legal action. The actual data holder—an organization that provides cloud storage—is not usually legally implicated or held responsible in litigation. 

How do data breaches occur?

The majority of online privacy incidents are due to negligent or ineffective network security. Outside threats pose personal data risks for consumers, though there is also a risk with internal security and a cloud-based data network. Some common ways data can be compromised include:

  • Exposing data in code banks
  • Leaking data from misconfigured data buckets
  • Expired security certificates
  • Storing data with unsecured third party vendors
  • Relaxed email security standards
  • Negligent security

What is a Class Action Lawsuit?

A Class Action is a lawsuit brought by an individual on behalf of all other similarly situated individuals. Rule 23 of the Federal and State Rules of Civil Procedure allows for Class Action lawsuits to resolve disputes in an efficient format.

Class Actions are typically filed when the amount of money in dispute for a single plaintiff would not justify litigating the case, but where the amount of damages of the entire class of Plaintiffs would justify the cost of litigation. Without class actions, large corporate defendants would be able to cause small amounts of harm over a large group of individuals without any risk of monetary penalty.

What are class action requirements?

In order for a case to be certified as a Class Action, the Court must determine that the case is appropriate for class action treatment under Rule 23. There are different elements depending on whether the case is seeking monetary or injunctive relief. In general, the Court must find the following elements are satisfied:

  • Numerosity: The proposed class must be so numerous that simply joining the individual plaintiffs would be impractical. Generally, the class size should exceed 100 individuals.
  • Common Questions of Law or Fact: The facts and/or legal questions in the dispute must be common to all class members. This does not mean all facts or issues must be identical, but the primary facts and law that will determine the issue in dispute must be common among all class members.
  • Typicality: The named Plaintiff in the case must have the same facts and legal issues as the class they are proposing to represent. If the Plaintiff’s individual case involves issues of fact or law unique to that Plaintiff and are irrelevant to the ultimate issue, class certification may be denied by the Court.
  • Plaintiff/Counsel Adequately Represents the Class: The Court must find that the Plaintiff and Plaintiff’s Counsel are competent and will protect the class’ interests.
  • Predominance: Common questions of fact predominate over individual facts.
  • Superiority: The Class Action is a more efficient and fair means of resolving the dispute. The Court will look at the following factors when making this determination: (1) Class Member interest in maintaining a separate action; (2) the extent of any litigation already begun by other class members; (3) desirability or undesirability of litigating the case in a particular Court ; (4) difficulties in managing the class.
protect your personal data

What should you do following a data breach?

Have you received a  notification letter indicating your personal  information may have been compromised? Following an incident, victims should consider talking to a legal expert, and move quickly to take the following steps to help prevent identity theft and fraud:

  • Confirm the data breach by contacting the “breached” company
  • Learn exactly what kind of personal data was compromised
  • Monitor your accounts for fraudulent activity
  • Change your logins and passwords
  • Keep a detailed record of suspicious activity
  • Contact your bank and cancel credit cards if they have been leaked
  • Stay alert for signs of future identity theft
  • Sign up for a credit monitoring service

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