SOUTH SUBURBAN COLLEGE DATA BREACH

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from South Suburban College, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here. On or about August 5, 2024, South Suburban College (“SSC”) sent a Notice of Data Breach Letter (“Breach Letter”) via mail to victims of the SSC data breach, informing them that their personal information and Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”), was obtained by an unauthorized actor who accessed SSC’s network (“data breach”). After SSC became aware of the potential unauthorized access to its network on November 8, 2023, it launched an investigation. The investigation determined that an unauthorized user had potentially infiltrated SSC’s network and attempted to ransom data. As a result of the data breach, hackers obtained their first and last names, mailing addresses, dates of birth, and social security numbers from victims. Founded in 1927, SSC is a public community college with campuses in South Holland and Oak Forest, IL. SSC usually has around 7,000 students enrolled each year and a student to faculty ratio of approximately 20:1. Specific numbers are not yet known, but it is likely thousands of people in Illinois and possibly throughout the United States were exposed. If you received a Breach Letter from SSC, then you were impacted by the data breach. SSC has offered victims of the data breach one year of free credit monitoring services as a precaution. WHAT INFORMATION IS INVOLVED? According to SSC, the following information was exposed:
  • First and Last Name
  • Address
  • Date of Birth
  • Social Security Number
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.

NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from South Suburban College, 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.