Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly failing to protect the private information of its patients during a cyberattack that began on Jan. 31, exposing them to alleged identity theft, fraudulent credit card charges and difficulties in communicating with health care providers.
The lawsuit was filed Feb. 16 in Cook County Circuit Court by a named plaintiff identified only as Jane Doe, along with her child, who was a Lurie's patient.
The complaint accuses the hospital of not adequately safeguarding patient's personal identifying information and health information, leading to unauthorized access and potential misuse of the sensitive data.
The ransomware attack resulted in the crippling of many of Lurie's systems for weeks, including its email, phone and online chart systems. According to published reports, the attack had far reaching effects, as Lurie serves as a hub for pediatric care for hundreds of thousands of patients.
The lawsuit alleges that a week before Lurie publicly announced the attack, she was allegedly the victim of identity theft, suffering fraudulent purchases on her credit cards. She further alleges the long-running attack hampered her ability to interact with the doctors and care givers for her child, who has disabilities, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit levels counts of negligence, invasion of privacy and breach of fiduciary duty against Lurie, along with accusing the hospital of violations of Illinois' consumer fraud law.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including punitive damages and attorney fees. The complaint notes Lurie has treated hundreds of thousands of patients and employs thousands of workers, all of whom could have been impacted by the data breach, according to the complaint.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorney Samuel J. Strauss from Turke & Strauss LLP, of Chicago.
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