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Washington State Department of Licensing Data Breach

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
NOTICE: If you received a DATA BREACH NOTIFICATION from Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.
Washington State Data BreachIn January 2022, Washington State Department of Licensing (“Washington State DOL”) discovered suspicious activity on its systems related to its professional and occupational license data contained within a system known as the Professional Online Licensing and Regulatory Information System (“POLARIS”). The POLARIS system processes, issues and renews professional and occupational license applicants and much more. The Washington State Department of Licensing is the state government agency responsible for issuing over 40 categories of licenses for motor vehicles, boats, businesses and professionals, including cosmetology, real estate brokers, bail bondsmen, architects and driver training school instructors. As of February 11, 2022, Washington State DOL has estimated the data of 650,000 individuals is affected by this breach. If you received a data breach notification from Washington State DOL, you were impacted by the breach.

What Information is Involved?

According to Washington State DOL, individuals that are impacted by the breach include: inactive licensees; certain individuals with, for example, expired, revoked, and cancelled licenses; and other individuals listed as contacts for licensed businesses. The following information is included in the data breach:
  • Social Security Numbers
  • Dates of Birth
  • Driver License Numbers
  • Other Personally Identifying 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. At this time, the POLARIS system has been temporarily shut down while the Washington State DOL continues to investigate the extent of the breach.

NOTICE: If you received a DATA BREACH NOTIFICATION from Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) 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.