Data breach class action – our speciality

A data breach class action – or group action as it is often referred to as in the UK – can allow for the efficient pursuing of many different cases that have similar issues.

These usually stem from a single event that has affected many people, such as a cyberattack or a mass data leak of information. It is much more efficient to group cases together and deal with all the similar and identical issues rather than having to spend time with many cases in many different courts across the UK.

As we are involved in dozens of group and multi-party actions for data breaches, this is a particular expertise of ours. You can speak to our team here for free, no-obligation legal advice now.

What is a data breach class action?

A data breach class action is a large compensation case which could involve thousands or even millions of people, in theory. The term class action is somewhat of a US one, but it is often used in the media here as well. In the UK, we typically refer to such cases as a group action, and the joint proceedings will often be called a Group Litigation Order (GLO) where people must sign-up to the litigation proceedings prior to a deadline falling.

A data breach class action case can allow for the efficient pursuing of many different claims where there are similar or like issues. This prevents the alternative, which is where thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people may end up having to pursue individual claims for practically the same thing in many different courts up and down the country. It does not make sense for that to work, and it is much more sensible for claims to be grouped together into one efficient set of proceedings.

A claim can still settle and be resolved on its own individual merits, which in data breach cases is often about the level of distress that has been caused, as well as any financial losses and expenses. But the similar issues – such as liability that could apply to many different cases – can be dealt with as one.

What actions are we involved with?

When it comes to a data breach class action case, we are experts. The Group Action Lawyers are involved in over 50 group and multi-party actions where we represent thousands of clients in a range of different cases. Some of these are for early actions like the TalkTalk cyberattack or the 56 Dean Street clinic leak, both of which occurred in 2015. We represent victims of the infamous Equifax hack that took place in the middle of 2017, and we are also representing thousands of clients engaged in cases against British Airways for their cyberattacks in 2018.

More recent ones include the EasyJet cyberattack of 2020 and the Virgin Media data leak of the same year.

There are many because there have been a high number of data breaches, leaks and hacks that have involved large groups of people stemming from one event. Whilst these are often cyberattacks, there are also major data leak events such as the 56 Dean Street Clinic leak we referenced above, and the Virgin Media one which actually affected 900,000 people. The latter one stemmed from a simple IT error that allowed a significant database of people to be exposed online.

How can you claim with us?

You could be entitled to join one of the many data breach group actions that we are pursuing. If you also want to speak to us about a potential new action that we are not involved with, we are certainly more than happy to hear from you.

Our legal team is happy to provide free, no-obligation legal advice where we can determine if we can pursue your case now on a No Win, No Fee basis.