Marlon Kimpson appointed co-lead counsel in Blackbaud data breach MDL
Read more on Marlon’s appointment in the National Law Journal, “MDL Judge Taps 'Most Diverse Leadership Team Ever' in Data Breach Class Action.”
U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs appointed Motley Rice attorney Marlon Kimpson as co-lead counsel for plaintiffs who allege software company Blackbaud released their most sensitive data to criminals in a ransomware attack and subsequent data breach that compromised the private information of tens-of-thousands of the company’s clients and millions of people, worldwide.
Blackbaud, a publicly-traded company based in South Carolina, provides cloud-based services for a variety of organizations including charitable foundations, educational and health institutions, religious organizations and non-profit groups in the U.S. and abroad. Cybercriminals launched a ransomware attack on the company in February 2020, and three months passed before Blackbaud discovered and stopped the attack. Blackbaud waited another two months to alert the public in July 2020. Plaintiffs allege millions of names, addresses, phone numbers, bank information and other personal information – including that of children – may have been compromised in the attack.
“Cybercrimes are insidious in nature, meaning the true victims of this attack – all of the consumers who trusted Blackbaud with a treasure trove of personal data – will have to monitor, live with and manage the effects for years to come,” said Motley Rice attorney and co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, Marlon Kimpson. “As commonplace as cybercrimes may seem today, we have to remember that the ramifications are real and lasting for the people affected, and at no fault of their own. My clients and the class have rights and recourse under the law. Blackbaud’s responsibility as a software company and cloud storage facility was to ensure the safety and security of the data entrusted to it and they failed.”
The case, In re: Blackbaud Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, MDL no. 2972, is filed in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
Motley Rice attorneys represent and have filed litigation for victims in multiple cybersecurity breaches, and serve on the leadership team for the 21st Century Oncology data breach for patients who allege their medical records were exposed by the company due to a lack of security. The firm also represents victims of the massive Equifax data breach that affected 143 million Americans in 2017, as well as Marriott and Starwood hotel guests affected by a series of data breaches over the course of several years that potentially compromised private information for up to 500 million customers. For more information or to discuss a potential claim, contact Marlon Kimpson by email or call 1.800.768.4026.