Judge OKs consolidated suit over theft of Sony ex-workers' personal info
Image from Shutterstock.
A federal judge in Los Angeles nixed a contract-based claim against Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. over a massive third-party hack attack that gained access to former employees’ personal information.
But the Monday ruling by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner gave a green light to negligence-based litigation by the ex-workers who brought the consolidated suit, putting the trimmed-down complaint on a path toward trial. Bloomberg, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety have stories.
Sony had argued that the former employees didn’t prove injury. However, the judge pointed to allegations of threatening email and claims that personal information was posted on file-sharing websites.
“These allegations alone are sufficient to establish a credible threat of real and immediate harm, or certainly impending injury,” Klausner wrote.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Sony Pictures cancels ‘Interview’ movie release, cites ‘unprecedented criminal assault’ by hackers”
ABAJournal.com: “After Sony hack attack, companies are curtailing email use and storage”
