AFTRA Data Breach Leaves Personal Information of Members Vulnerable

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
NOTICE: If you were a current or past member of SAG-AFTRA Health Plan or an AFTRA Retirement employee in October 2019 and have received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777. aftra data breachOn February 25, 2020, AFTRA Retirement Fund announced a recent event potentially impacting the personal information security of certain current and former plan members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) Health Plan. AFTRA Retirement provides retirement benefits to performers and supported the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan as a business associate. On October 28, 2019, AFTRA received an alert of suspicious activity. It determined that certain files and folders on AFTRA’s network may have been subject to unauthorized access for periods of time between October 24, 2019 and October 28, 2019. Personal information potentially accessed varied by individual, but included sensitive details, such as addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, earnings, dependents, and beneficiaries. It was also determined that an unauthorized individual accessed AFTRA employees’ credit card information and made unauthorized purchases using that information. It is unknown how many of the estimated 65,000 SAG-AFTRA members and/or AFTRA Retirement Fund employees may have been affected by the data breach. AFTRA Retirement Fund is advising individuals to carefully review their account statements for suspicious or unauthorized activity and take precautionary measures to monitor their credit.

If you were a current or past member of SAG-AFTRA Health Plan or an AFTRA Retirement employee in October 2019 and have received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH email or letter regarding this incident, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your situation and possible legal options.

Settlement - $3,767,000

Truck Accident

A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.

Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.

The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.

The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.