Medical Center Barbour Data Breach

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from Medical Center Barbour, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here. On August 22, 2024, Medical Center Barbour (“MCB”), filed a notice of data breach with the Office of the Attorney General in Maine. MCB disclosed that on October 29, 2023, it noticed suspicious activity on its computer network. A subsequent investigation, which concluded on July 31, 2024, found that an unauthorized party accessed and exfiltrated sensitive and confidential patients’ Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) and Protected Health Information (“PHI”). Recently, MCB has begun mailing notification letters to affected individuals. In the notification, MCB has offered victims of the Data Breach complimentary access to single bureau credit monitoring and proactive fraud assistance for 12 months. According to MCB’s report to the Attorney General of Maine, approximately 61,014 individuals were impacted by the Data Breach. If you received a data breach notification letter from MCB, it indicates that you were affected by the Data Breach. Founded in 1930 at Salter Hospital, MCB is a healthcare organization located in Eufaula, Alabama. It provides a comprehensive range of services, including primary, emergency, and surgical care. MCB operates one hospital and two family care clinics in Alabama and employs more than 200 individuals. WHAT INFORMATION IS INVOLVED? The type of compromised information varied among individuals and included:
  • Birth dates,
  • Medical Information
  • Health Insurance Information
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. Personal medical information (a specific type of PII) is referred to as Protected Health Information (“PHI”). It is protected under both state and federal law. Healthcare providers and other businesses who handle PHI are required to protect that information. Like stolen PII, stolen PHI can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity. Quite often, PII and PHI are used in conjunction by hackers. The best way to protect yourself after a data breach is to sign up for credit and identity protection services as soon as possible. NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from Medical Center Barbour, 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.