American Airlines Data Breach

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from American Airlines, IT IS NOT A SCAM – it is a real data breach: contact the Arnold Law Firm at 916-777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.
american airlines data breachIn July 2022, American Airlines discovered that it was hacked by a group of cybercriminals.  American Airlines began notifying impacted people in September 2022, confirming that unauthorized third parties obtained access to American Airlines’ systems and stole individuals’ names, dates of birth, mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, and medical information. The individuals impacted by this are both American Airlines’ employees and customers. Your information was most likely taken by the cybercriminals by accessing several of American Airlines’ employees’ email accounts. American Airlines is the world’s largest airline and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 1936, American Airlines operates nearly 6,800 international and domestic flights to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries.  American Airlines has over 123,400 employees worldwide and carries more than 200 million passengers every year. It is unknown at this time how many of those 123,400 employees and 200 million passengers have been impacted by this breach. If you received a data breach incident letter from American Airlines you were impacted by the breach.

WHAT INFORMATION IS INVOLVED?

According to American Airlines the following information was exposed:
  • Names
  • Driver’s License Numbers
  • Passport Numbers
  • Medical Information
  • Dates of Birth
  • Mailing Addresses
  • Phone Numbers
  • Email Addresses
This information is called your Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”). It tells others about you and is considered part of your identity. Businesses are required to secure this information or risk facing statutory penalties, among other legal penalties. Stolen PII can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity. American Airlines is offering 24 months of free Identity Monitoring. The best way to protect yourself after a data breach is to sign up for credit and identity protection services as soon as possible. California offers extra protections and legal rights to its residents through the California Consumer Privacy Act.

NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from American Airlines, contact the Arnold Law Firm at 916-777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.

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.