GoKawiilTesla, the electric car giant, is grappling with a proposed federal class-action lawsuit filed on September 5, 2023. The suit accuses the company of failing to protect the sensitive personal data of 75,000 employees, including customer and business partner details. According to the lawsuit, this puts the affected individuals at an increased risk of identity theft, fraud, and financial loss.
German news service Handelsblatt was the first to alert Tesla about the breach in May. The publication informed the company that two of its former employees had leaked confidential information.
This data included names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and social security numbers. In fact, the leak was so extensive that even CEO Elon Musk’s social security number was among the stolen data.
Benson Pai, the plaintiff leading the case, is pushing for compensation for both a nationwide class and a California subclass. Specifically, Pai alleges that Tesla neglected to follow reasonable security measures to protect this sensitive information. As a result, affected individuals are dealing with invasion of privacy, heightened risk of identity theft, and other financial and emotional damages.
Tesla failed to implement or follow reasonable data security procedures as required by law and failed to protect Plaintiff and the proposed Class members’ Sensitive Information from unauthorized access. Benson Pai
Legal Grounds and Future Implications
The lawsuit isn’t pulling any punches. It includes claims of negligence, invasion of privacy, and multiple breaches of various laws. These range from the California Unfair Competition Law to the Consumer Privacy Act.
So, what’s at stake? Pai and his legal team, which includes Swigart Law Group APC and Ben Travis of San Diego, are demanding a wide array of damages. They’re calling for compensatory, statutory, and nominal damages, along with restitution, injunctive relief, and coverage of attorney’s fees.
Interestingly, the leaked unencrypted information could fetch a price between $40 and $200 on the dark web, according to the suit.
Upon learning of the breach, Tesla did take some steps to mitigate the damage. The company offered a year’s membership to Experian’s IdentityWorks monitoring services to those affected.
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