In Re: Science Applications International Corp. (Saic) Backup Tape Data Theft Litigation

45 F. Supp. 3d 14, 2014 WL 1858458
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedMay 9, 2014
DocketMisc. No. 2012-0347
StatusPublished
Cited by66 cases

This text of 45 F. Supp. 3d 14 (In Re: Science Applications International Corp. (Saic) Backup Tape Data Theft Litigation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re: Science Applications International Corp. (Saic) Backup Tape Data Theft Litigation, 45 F. Supp. 3d 14, 2014 WL 1858458 (D.D.C. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JAMES E. BOASBERG, United States District Judge

In September 2011, a thief broke into a ear sitting in a San Antonio parking garage and stole the ear’s GPS system, stereo, and several data tapes. This seemingly run-of-the mill theft has spawned massive litigation. Why? Because of the contents of those pilfered tapes. The car, as it turns out, belonged to an employee of Science Applications International Corporation, an information-technology company that handles data for the federal government. And the tapes contained personal information and medical records concerning 4.7 million members of the U.S. military (and their families) who were enrolled in TRICARE health care, which contracts with SAIC— somewhat ironically—to protect patients’ data.

Plaintiffs, who are potential victims of the data breach, filed a number of lawsuits in various courts around the country alleging harm from an increased likelihood of identity theft and from an invasion of their privacy, among other things. Eight of those suits have been consolidated here as a multi-district litigation. Recently, SAIC and the three Government Defendants— TRICARE, the Department of Defense, and its Secretary, Chuck Hagel—moved to dismiss the now-consolidated Complaint. Defendants claim that the service members can show no injury based on the data breach and hence lack standing to sue in federal court; in addition, SAIC and the Government contend, none of the victims has stated a claim for relief under any of the many federal and state laws that might protect them. Plaintiffs rejoin that they have, in fact, been injured by the breach and that their various causes of action— ranging from state tort law to the federal Privacy Act of 1974—are sound.

This case presents thorny standing issues regarding when, exactly, the loss or theft of something as abstract as data becomes a concrete injury. That is, when is a consumer actually harmed by a data breach—the moment data is lost or stolen, or only after the data has been accessed or used by a third party? As the issue has percolated through various courts, most have agreed that the mere loss of data— without evidence that it has been either viewed or misused—does not constitute an injury sufficient to confer standing. This Court agrees. Mere loss of the data is all that most Plaintiffs allege here, so the majority must be dismissed from this case. Two Plaintiffs, however, do plausibly assert that their data was accessed or abused, and those victims may move forward with their claims.

*20 Standing thus resolved, the Court would typically next delve into the merits of the remaining Plaintiffs’ claims. In this case, however, the Court believes it more advisable to pause and confer with the litigants. The dismissal of most Plaintiffs will have serious consequences moving forward, which may well alter the parties’ perceptions of the case and how they prefer to proceed. Not every count in the Complaint applies to every Plaintiff, for example—so many of the counts may fall on that basis alone. Given that many of the Plaintiffs have been dismissed, moreover, they may desire to appeal immediately, which the Court might sanction. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b). This matter was, after all, intended to proceed as a class action, and the number of potential class members has now considerably diminished. The Court will thus hold a status hearing to assess the parties’ intentions before taking up the question of whether the two remaining Plaintiffs have stated a legal claim.

I. Background

A. Factual Background

As outlined above, this case revolves around the theft of several data tapes from an SAIC employee’s car in 2011. See Compl., ¶¶ 99-100. As the police report indicates, those tapes were taken along with a GPS and stereo when a criminal smashed a window and broke into the vehicle in mid-September. See SAIC Mot., Exh. A (San Antonio Police Report of Sept. 14, 2011) at 2-3; Compl., ¶ 100 1 , Despite the efforts of law enforcement, the thief was never apprehended.

The tapes were backup copies of medical data related to over 4 million TRICARE beneficiaries who had received medical treatment or testing in San Antonio, Texas., See Compl., ¶ 93. On September 29, 2011, TRICARE released a statement detailing the data breach to alert customers to the situation. See id. In November, SAIC mailed letters to affected service members explaining the scope of the theft and noting that “the information contained on the tapes may include names, Social Security Numbers, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers,” and a variety of medical information. SAIC Mot., Exh. B (Letter from SAIC to Customer (Nov. 16, 2011)) at 1; see Compl., ¶ 94. 2 But the tapes did not include “any financial data, such as credit card or bank account information.” Letter from SAIC at 1. SAIC also observed, “The chance that [any] information could be obtained from these tapes is low since accessing, viewing and using the data requires specific hardware and software.” Id. SAIC nevertheless offered all affected parties free credit monitoring and identity-theft protection and restoration services for one year. See id.

Still, Plaintiffs claim that the data breach caused them substantial harm. Twenty-four of the thirty-three Plaintiffs here allege that they have been injured because of the disclosure alone. 3 They *21 claim that, even if no one has yet used their personal information, they face an increased risk of identity theft, which they view as a distinct and palpable harm. See Compl., ¶¶20, 23. They also claim that the data breach violated their expectation of privacy, as codified in various statutes, state tort law, and possibly through contract. See id., ¶¶ 1, 20, 21, 24. In addition, five of those twenty-four Plaintiffs claim that they have spent time or money monitoring their credit or interfacing with their banks since the theft, and that then-time and effort should be compensable. 4

Six Plaintiffs also claim that someone used their credit cards or bank accounts without their authorization, although no one alleges that financial information was actually on the stolen tapes. 5 One of those six additionally claims that loans have been opened in his name using his personal information—presumably including his social security number, name, date of birth, and address, all of which were on the backup tapes. 6 Yet another Plaintiff alleges that she was harmed because her medical identity has disappeared. 7

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Bluebook (online)
45 F. Supp. 3d 14, 2014 WL 1858458, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-science-applications-international-corp-saic-backup-tape-data-dcd-2014.