In a significant legal development, a class action lawsuit has been filed against a Pennsylvania-based company following a major data breach that exposed sensitive personal information of numerous individuals. The complaint was lodged by Cherie Sweigart on behalf of herself and others similarly affected, in the Court of Common Pleas of the 32nd Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Delaware County Branch, targeting Substitute Teacher Service, Inc. The filing date is not explicitly mentioned in the document.
The lawsuit stems from a data breach involving Substitute Teacher Service, Inc., which provides substitute teachers to over 80 school districts across Pennsylvania. According to the complaint, the breach compromised personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) of current and former employees. This includes names, salaries, contracts, criminal records, and medical data. The plaintiff accuses the defendant of failing to secure this sensitive information adequately and not providing timely notification about the breach. "Defendant failed to adequately protect Plaintiff's and Class Members' Private Information—and failed to even encrypt or redact this highly sensitive information," states the complaint.
The breach reportedly occurred around February 2025 when a cybercriminal group known as Cicada3301 conducted a ransomware attack on the company's systems. It is alleged that during this attack, hackers accessed and acquired private information stored unencrypted on Substitute Teacher Service's systems. The lawsuit highlights that such breaches are preventable with proper security measures like encryption and employee training but claims these were not implemented by the defendant.
Sweigart seeks to address several harms through this lawsuit: invasion of privacy, theft of private information, loss of value of said information, time lost mitigating potential consequences from the breach, and ongoing risks related to identity theft. She argues that Substitute Teacher Service's actions amount to negligence under federal and state laws due to their failure in protecting employee data as per industry standards set by bodies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The plaintiff demands injunctive relief requiring Substitute Teacher Service to improve its data security practices significantly. Additionally, she seeks compensation for damages suffered by herself and other class members due to this incident. This includes nominal damages for each affected individual along with any further relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Cherie Sweigart are attorneys whose names are not specified within this document; similarly missing are details regarding any defense counsel for Substitute Teacher Service or specific judges presiding over this case. The case ID is CV2025001656.