Posted On February 28, 2022 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
February 28, 2022 – Recently, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital (“BluePearl” “BluePearl Pet Hospital”) announced that, due to an administrative error, the company sent current and former employee tax forms to the wrong addresses. These forms contained the personal and health information of affected employees. Those impacted by a data breach should be sure they understand what happened, what their rights are, and how they can pursue them. The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are actively investigating this security breach. As a part of the investigative process, our attorneys will be interviewing any victims of the breach to determine what harm was caused and whether they are eligible to bring a data breach class action lawsuit against BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital.
According to an official filing by the company, on February 3, 2022, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital learned that it inadvertently sent the Form 1095-C’s of current and former employees to the wrong address. The company explained that “the forms were sent to one other individual who was eligible for benefits with BluePearl in 2021, which means an individual that was a BluePearl Associate in 2021.”
BluePearl Pet Hospital confirmed that the forms contained the following employee information:
The forms also contained employees’ dependent information including the names of covered dependents, the last four digits of their Social Security numbers, and dates of birth.
On around February 25, 2022, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was contained in the affected files.
BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital is a veterinary practice providing emergency and specialty services to pet owners. BluePearl Pet Hospital is owned by Mars, Incorporated and operates more than 100 hospitals across 29 states. BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital employs about 475 veterinarians, 1,600 veterinary technicians, and 4,100 other employees. BluePearl Pet Hospital treats over one million pets per year.
When you allowed BluePearl access to your personal data, you trusted the company to keep your sensitive information safe. However, news of the Blue Pearl data breach raises some very serious questions about the company’s data security measures and whether the company could have done more to prevent this type of cyber-attack.
Regardless of the industry, all businesses have a legal obligation to protect employee information in their possession. Although creating and maintaining a data security system is costly, this is a necessary expense given the frequency with which cyberattacks occur.
Consumers whose personal, identifying, financial or healthcare-related data was compromised in a data breach can pursue legal action against a company that misused or mishandled their information. However, the investigation into the BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital breach is only in its beginning phases. For that reason, it is too early to tell if BluePearl was legally responsible for the breach. However, our data breach attorneys are investigating the BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital security breach to determine the potential legal remedies of those affected.
If you have questions about your ability to pursue a data breach class action lawsuit against BluePearl, contact a data breach attorney as soon as possible.
If you receive a data breach notification from BluePearl in the coming weeks, it means your personal data was among that which was compromised in the recent cyberattack. It also means a cybercriminal may have had access to—and may have stolen—your personal data. Given the risks involved, it is important you remain vigilant by taking the following steps:
At Console & Associates, P.C., our consumer privacy lawyers monitor all security and data breaches to help affected consumers pursue their legal remedies. We offer free consultations to victims of data breaches and can explain your rights in clear, understandable terms so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed with your case. If you’ve been affected by the Blue Pearl data breach or any other data security incident, Console & Associates, P.C., will investigate your case at no charge and offer you thorough advice about how to most effectively proceed with your case. If you decide to bring a case, we only get paid if you do. If your claim is successful, any legal fees are either paid by the defendant or come out of the funds recovered from the defendant. If your claim doesn’t result in a recovery, you will pay nothing.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.