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Welfare & Pension Administration Service, Inc. Data Breach

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
NOTICE: If you received a DATA BREACH NOTIFICATION from Welfare & Pension Administration Service, Inc. (“WPAS”) contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.
In July 2021, WPAS discovered that its computer network was infected with malware that encrypted certain systems.  WPAS then confirmed that folders were removed from its network and that those folders included information relating to its clients and business partners. WPAS is a third-party benefits and pensions administration firm located on Mercer Island, Washington with locations in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California. WPAS employs over 170 people administering 82 plans with total assets in excess of five billion dollars which provide benefits to more than 150,000 individuals. In total, the data of 211,822 individuals was compromised in the breach. If you received a data breach incident letter from WPAS, you were impacted by the breach.

What Information is Involved?

According to WPAS, the following information was exposed:
  • Social Security numbers
  • Names
  • Addresses
  • Dates of Birth
  • Driver’s License numbers
  • State Identification numbers
  • Financial Account information
  • Passport numbers
  • Medical treatment information
  • Diagnosis 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. WPAS is offering 12 months of free Credit 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 WPAS, 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.