LifeLabs Class Action Filed Over Massive Data Breach

LifeLabs has been hit with a class action lawsuit by a Canadian patient who claims that the medical laboratory company allowed personal information to be accessed by unauthorized individuals.

Plaintiff Anna Belle Tharani, a resident of British Columbia, says that in October 2019, Lifelabs found out that 15 million of its patients’ personal information was accessed by hackers in a ransomware attack.

The plaintiff states that this personal information includes names, health card numbers, contact information, medical history, and test results.

The LifeLabs class action alleges that LifeLabs did not notify the public about the data breach until Dec. 18, 2019 – after the company paid a ransom to the hackers. LifeLabs has reportedly stated that the data breach was used to force the company to pay the ransom.

Tharani claims that, because of the data breach, her privacy as well as the privacy of the other patients whose personal data was taken may have been meddled with.

“Lifelabs owed the the Class Members a duty of care in the handling and protection of their Personal Information and a duty to safeguard the confidentiality of their Personal Information,” the LifeLabs class action lawsuit alleges.

LifeLabs should have known that a breach of its duty of care would have caused damage to the Class Members, the class action lawsuit states.

The plaintiff also claims that LifeLabs did not protect the personal health information of the plaintiff and other Class Members, which exposed them to mental distress and extortion.

“LifeLabs represented itself as a company that had the capacity to, and would keep, its patients Personal Information secure from unlawful access,” the class action lawsuit claims.

In addition, the plaintiff states that the defendant did not have a sufficient system in place to prevent a data breach and unauthorized access to the patients personal information. The LifeLabs class action claims that the company did not have an adequate training program in place to stop unauthorized access to personal information.

“LifeLabs failure to securely collect, store and protect the Personal information of the Class Members was intentional, willful and/or reckless,” the LifeLabs class action lawsuit states.

LifeLabs did not correct or improve on past failures which would have prevented hackers in accessing personal information of the Class Members, the plaintiff claims.

Also, the plaintiffs state that LifeLabs failed to investigate reports of data breaches when it knew that such breaches were occurring in the company.

LifeLabs also failed to promptly inform the plaintiff and the Class Members when they learned of the data breach and that their personal information had been exposed, the class action alleges.

Another class action lawsuit was filed against LifeLabs in December 2019 by a patient who claims that the company did not have sufficient measures in place to prevent a data breach from occurring. 

The plaintiff states that she should obtain damages for breach of contract, negligence, intrusion upon inclusion, and states that LifeLabs is in violation of Canadian laws such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, the Personal Information Protection Act, and the Personal Health Information Protection Act.

Are you a patient of LifeLabs? Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiff is represented by Guy J. Collette of Collette Parsons Corrin LLP

The LifeLabs Data Breach Class Action Lawsuit is Anna Belle Tharani v. LifeLabs Inc., et al., Case No. S191432g, in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada.

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