PharMerica Data Breach

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
NOTICE: If you are/were a patient or customer of PharMerica, and believe you may have been impacted by the below described Data Breach, contact the Arnold Law Firm at 916-777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.
PharMerica Data Breach On or about May 12, 2023, PharMerica notified State Attorneys’ General that the personally identifiable information (“PII”) of its current and former customers, and potentially their dependents and its current and former employees was exposed when PharMerica claims there was a “cybersecurity incident” (the “Data Breach”) According to these notifications, PharMerica discovered the Data Breach on March 14, 2023 when it learned of suspicious activity on its computer network and investigated the Data Breach and determined that, between March 12-13, 2023, hackers had gained access to their network without authorization. The “ransomware gang” “Money Message” has claimed responsibility for the Data Breach and has published some of the PII it acquired from PharMerica. PharMerica has revealed that the PII available to the hackers during this breach consists of, including, but not limited to: name, mailing addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medications, and health insurance information. PharMerica discovered the Data Breach on March 14, 2023 and determined whose information was involved and what PII was taken by March 21, 2023. However, despite having all of this information already, it waited nearly two whole months, until May 12th, 2023 to notify State Attorneys’ General. PharMerca is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and provides pharmacy services in all 50 states, operating 180 local and 70,000 backup pharmacies, which serve 3,100 medical facilities nationwide. It has over 5,700 direct employees and in 2022, had over $500 million in revenue. The data of over 5,815,591 individuals was compromised by this data breach. If you are or were a patient or customer of PharMerca or any of its related entities, you may have been impacted by the data breach.

WHAT INFORMATION IS INVOLVED?

According to PharMerca, the following information was exposed:
  • Names
  • Social Security numbers
  • Dates of birth
  • Mailing addresses
  • Medications
  • 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. 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 (“CCPA”) and the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (“CMIA”).

NOTICE: If you are or were a patient/customer of PharMerica and believe you may have been impacted by the Data Breach, 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.