A new ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court states that employers must be held legally accountable for protecting their employees’ personal information. The ruling originated from a data breach case in 2014 that took place at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center when birth dates, addresses, and Social Security numbers from their over 60,000 employees were stolen. Due to the breach, many false tax returns were filed using the employees’ personal information, and the workers could not receive their tax refunds. This prompted a class-action lawsuit against the hospital, and led to the eventual ruling by the Supreme Court, which deemed employers responsible for protecting their employees’ personal information.
One of the ways employers must provide a safe and comfortable work environment is by ensuring that they will protect the personal information they collect from their employees. Although a data breach, for example, may be unavoidable, the employer must cover every possible gap that could allow a breach to occur. They must also realize that are responsible, under Pennsylvania law, to protect the personal data and may be accountable for any damages associated with it if they fail to safeguard it.
If your employer failed to protect your interests, you may need the assistance of a Philadelphia employment lawyer. Contact Sidney L. Gold & Associates, P.C. at 215-569-1999 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. We serve clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from our offices in Philadelphia and Pennsauken, New Jersey.
