LAFAYETTE, La., (KLFY) -- A rash of class action lawsuits are emerging in federal court against Acadian Ambulance, less than two weeks after the medical transport company announced that protected patient health information was accessed by a hacker earlier this year.
The federal suits, lodged by both patients and former employees of the company, allege that cybercriminal organization Daixin Team managed to access patient information such as full names, social security numbers, dates of birth, and medical and treatment information.
"The exposure of one's private information to cybercriminals is a bell that cannot be un-rung," one lawsuit read.
"Before this data breach, plaintiff's and the class's private information was exactly that -- private. Not anymore. Now, their private information is forever exposed and unsecure," the lawsuit continued.
According to the lawsuits, the hackers demanded Acadian Ambulance pay a $7 million ransom for the return of the stolen information. The ambulance company refused the ransom demand and instead offered to pay $173,000, which the hackers rejected, the lawsuits said.
"While attempts apparently were being made to raise more funds, the amount being offered is only a fraction of the amount demanded by Daixin. Daixin has threatened to release the full data shortly if its demands are not met and alleges the company can afford to pay more since it obtained information about the company's financial position in the attack," read a lawsuit filed July 31, adding that it is unclear if the ransom has yet been paid.
Individuals leading the various lawsuits asserted they have spent considerable time and money attempting to mitigate and address harms caused by the data breach.
Some leading plaintiffs have expressed concern about what measures has Acadian Ambulance taken since to make sure similar incidents don't happen again.
Others have asserted that, as of the date of filing the lawsuit, the medical transport company has not offered recovery or protective services in response to the data breach.
Requests for comment by the company have not yet been successful.
According to its website, Acadian Ambulance provides service to more than 21 million residents across Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.
