Data breaches? Michigan uni seeks cyber negligence suit dismissal

TLDR:

• The University of Michigan is facing lawsuits over a cyber infiltration incident that exposed the personal information of more than 200,000 individuals.
• Two lawsuits have been filed, seeking class-action status, claiming that the university did not have adequate procedures or systems in place to prevent the breach.

The University of Michigan is seeking to have a cyber negligence lawsuit dismissed, which was filed in response to a data breach incident that occurred in August 2023. The breach exposed the personal information of over 200,000 individuals. The university is facing two lawsuits, one filed by a third-year student on the Ann Arbor campus and the other filed by a Florida resident and university research participant. Both lawsuits are seeking class-action status.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuits accuse the university of not having adequate procedures or systems in place to prevent the cyber infiltration. They argue that the university should have done more to protect the personal information of its students and research participants.

The University of Michigan is now seeking to have the lawsuits dismissed, arguing that data breaches are possible even with the best security measures in place. They claim that they had reasonable security measures in place and that the breach was a result of a sophisticated cyber attack that could not have been prevented.

If the lawsuits proceed, they could have significant implications for the university. Class-action lawsuits have the potential to result in large financial settlements if the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs. Additionally, the lawsuits could also damage the university’s reputation and trust among its students and research participants.

The outcome of this case will likely have broader implications for other universities and organizations grappling with similar cyber security issues. It serves as a reminder that no organization is immune to data breaches and highlights the importance of implementing robust security measures to protect sensitive information.