During these challenging times, Severson & Werson remains open and in full operation, consistent with the firm’s previously established contingency planning. While many of our attorneys and staff will be working remotely, as a firm, we continue in full operation. We are here to help, as always.

Effective, Experienced, Exceptional.

Firm Profile

Privacy

Subscribe to Consumer Finance

Thank you for your desire to subscribe to Severson & Werson’s Consumer Finance Weblog. In order to subscribe, you must provide a valid name and e-mail address. This too will be retained on our server. When you push the “subscribe button”, we will send an electronic mail to the address that you provided asking you to confirm your subscription to our Weblog. By pushing the “subscribe button”, you represent and warrant that you are over the age of 18 years old, are the owner/authorized user of that e-mail address, and are entitled to receive e-mails at that address. Our weblog will retain your name and e-mail address on its server, or the server of its web host. However, we won’t share any of this information with anyone except the Firm’s employees and contractors, except under certain extraordinary circumstances described on our Privacy Policy and (About The Consumer Finance Blog/About the Appellate Tracker Weblog) Page. NOTICE AND AGREEMENT REGARDING E-MAILS AND CALLS/TEXT MESSAGES TO LAND-LINE AND WIRELESS TELEPHONES: By providing your contact information and confirming your subscription in response to the initial e-mail that we send you, you agree to receive e-mail messages from Severson & Werson from time-to-time and understand and agree that such messages are or may be sent by means of automated dialing technology. If you have your email forwarded to other electronic media, including text messages and cellular telephone by way of VoIP, internet, social media, or otherwise, you agree to receive my messages in that way. This may result in charges to you. Your agreement and consent also extend to any other agents, affiliates, or entities to whom our communications are forwarded. You agree that you will notify Severson & Werson in writing if you revoke this agreement and that your revocation will not be effective until you notify Severson & Werson in writing. You understand and agree that you will afford Severson & Werson a reasonable time to unsubscribe you from the website, that the ability to do so depends on Severson & Werson’s press of business and access to the weblog, and that you may still receive one or more emails or communications from weblog until we are able to unsubscribe you.

District Court (D.C.) Says Law Firm’s Investigation into Cybersecurity Breach Not Protected from Discovery by Privilege; Orders Production of Effect of Hack on Law Firm’s Other Clients

by Scott J. Hyman |

In Wengui v. Clark Hill, Civil Action No. 19-3195 (JEB), 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5395 (D.D.C. Jan. 12, 2021), Judge B0asberg ordered production of internal investigation reports regarding a cybersecurity breach, which were not protected by the attorney client or work product privileges. Malicious cyberattacks have unfortunately become a routine part of our modern digital world. So have the lawsuits… Read More

District Court (Cal.) Says Data Breach Defendant Is Entitled to Discovery from Plaintiffs to Offer Evidence to District Court in Support of Defendant’s Petition to Compel Arbitration

by Scott J. Hyman |

In I.C. v. Zynga Inc., No. 20-cv-01539-YGR, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2227 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 6, 2021), Judge Rogers held that the defendant was entitled to limited discovery from the class representatives to obtain information to bring a proper Petition to Compel Arbitration. Currently pending in each of the captioned cases is defendant Zynga Inc.'s motion to compel arbitration or, in… Read More

District Court (Mich.) Orders Data Breach Class Action’s Representatives to Arbitration Despite Named Plaintiffs’ Status as Minors at the Time of On-Line Contracting

by Scott J. Hyman |

In In re StockX Customer Data Sec. Breach Litig., No. 19-12441, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 241178 (E.D. Mich. Dec. 23, 2020), Judge Roberts ordered the class representative’s claims to arbitration, despite the fact that they were minors when they signed the Terms of Service containing the Arbitration Clause. This action arises from a data breach to StockX's system which occurred… Read More

9th Cir. Interprets Stored Communications Act

by Scott J. Hyman |

In Clare v. Clare, (9th Cir. 2020) 2020 DAR ___, the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit held that the Stored Communications Act (18 USC 2701, 2707 creates a private right of action against a person who intentionally accesses, without authorization, an electronic communication system, thereby obtaining an electronic communication in the system's electronic storage.  For this purpose, electronic storage… Read More

District Court (Cal.) Allows Data Breach Class Action to Proceed

by Scott J. Hyman |

In Stasi v. Inmediata Health Grp. Corp., No. 19cv2353 JM (LL), 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 217097 (S.D. Cal. Nov. 19, 2020), Judge Miller allowed a data security breach class action to proceed.  The basis of the class action was as follows: According to Plaintiffs' FAC,1 Inmediata provides billing and health record software and service solutions to healthcare providers. (FAC ¶¶… Read More

District Court (Cal.) Grants Preliminary Approval of Settlement of Facebook Data Breach Class Action

by Scott J. Hyman |

In Adkins v. Facebook, Inc., No. C 18-05982 WHA, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 214006 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 15, 2020), Judge Alsup granted preliminary approval of the Facebook data breach class action. This case arises from the September 2018 hack of Facebook. A prior order detailed the facts (Dkt. No. 153). In brief, certain access tokens permitted access to Facebook users'… Read More

District Court (Ohio) Certifies Data Breach Class by Credit Card Issuers Against Restaurant

by Scott J. Hyman |

In In re Sonic Corp. Customer Data Breach Litig. Fin. Insts., No. 1:17-md-02807-JSG, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 204169 (N.D. Ohio Nov. 2, 2020), Judge Gwin certified a data breach class.  The facts were as follows: Between April 7, 2017, and October 28, 2017, hackers used malware installed on point-of-sale systems at 762 Sonic restaurants to steal sales transaction payment card… Read More

District Court (Cal.) Tosses Data Breach Class Action for Wont of Standing

by Scott J. Hyman |

In Holly v. Alta Newport Hosp., Inc., No. 2:19-cv-07496-ODW (MRWx), 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 195652 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 21, 2020), Judge Wright dismissed a data breach class action because the class representative could not demonstrate compensable loss. Holly alleges that she suffered "emotional harm and distress and has been injured in her mind and body." (SAC ¶ 49.) She also… Read More

District Court (Ohio) Finds Art. III Standing in Data Breach Case

by Scott J. Hyman |

In Foster v. Health Recovery Servs., No. 2:19-CV-4453, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186508 (S.D. Ohio Oct. 7, 2020), Judge Marbley found that at least one claim of damages for a data breach victim satisfied Art. III standing. In a recent data breach case brought pursuant to the FCRA, the [*14]  Third Circuit examined both the congressional judgment and common law factors… Read More

Department of Treasury Says Paying Off Ransomware May Run the Risk of Sanctions

by Scott J. Hyman |

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an advisory yesterday, alerting companies who engage with victims of ransomware attacks of potential sanctions risks for facilitating ransomware payments.  This advisory highlights OFAC’s designations of malicious cyber actors and those who facilitate ransomware transactions under its cyber-related sanctions program. It identifies U.S. government resources for reporting… Read More

1 2 3 … 7