Attorney Preparing Class Action Lawsuit Against Hospitals Where Personal Records Were Stolen

A Ridgewood attorney is preparing to file a federal class action lawsuit against three Bergen County hospitals where thousands of patients’ personal information was stolen in a massive data breach.

Joseph Santoli, a class action attorney, said he will file the suit on behalf of six Bergen County residents whose personal information, including social security numbers, was allegedly stolen by a file clerk who worked for Medical Management LLC, the company that handles the billing services for Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.

“In my mind, the breach could have been easily avoided by the hospitals by having protections in place,” Santoli said. “They should have been much more careful with who they hired as vendors.”

About 1,500 affected patients at each Englewood and Holy Name received warning letters about the breach and the hospitals are offering free identity protection services, NorthJersey.com reported. The letter urges residents to also take steps to protect their identities.

“That is not as easy as it sounds,” Santoli said. “They have to monitor their bills very closely.”

Santoli said the breach seems to be larger than hospital officials initially reported.

“There seems to be a number of people who have been exposed who haven’t been notified,” he said. “That would seem to me that the breach is much more expansive than was originally thought.”

Officials insist that the hospitals’ internal records are safe and that only the personal information that had been given to the outside billing company had been compromised, NorthJersey.com reported. The hospitals were not responsible for hiring the outside billing company.

Santoli said the suit would be filed in federal court in Newark.