2 October 2024. In a significant development for the ongoing Multi-District Litigation (MDL) related to the cybersecurity incident at Change Healthcare, Sabita J. Soneji, Chair of Tycko & Zavareei’s Privacy and Data Breach Practice Group, has been appointed to the Patient Track Plaintiff Steering Committee by United States District Judge Donovan W. Frank.
Ms. Soneji brings a wealth of experience in handling complex class actions and data breach litigations. Ms. Soneji will play an important role in steering the MDL, which involves 59 cases with numerous plaintiffs, including individuals and healthcare providers.
The incident at Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group, has highlighted significant vulnerabilities in healthcare and billing information systems nationwide. The breach, which involved the deployment of ransomware, resulted in the exfiltration of substantial quantities of data, potentially impacting a significant proportion of the American population. According to UnitedHealth Group chief executive Andrew Witty’s testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, approximately one-third of Americans could be affected by the breach. The data breach also disrupted operations for physicians, pharmacies, and hospitals, as these providers and institutions struggled to confirm patient benefits for services. Sensitive information, including health and insurance details, was compromised, prompting multiple legal actions which have been consolidated in this MDL.
The case is In re: Change Healthcare, Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, MDL No. 24-3108 in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.