We offer professional, confidential and no-obligation advice and representation for an HIV status data leak as an area of law that we have particular expertise in.
One of the first data actions that we took forward was for victims of the infamous 56 Dean Street Clinic leak. This 2015 leak resulted in the HIV status for almost 800 patients being exposed, and the impact for the victims has been substantial. Having built legal cases for the many who placed their legal cases with us, we understand just how bad this kind of data exposure can be.
It’s important to know our background in these kinds of claims, given how serious a matter like this is. A lot of law firms have started offering services for data cases, and we’ve seen some remarkable and unsubstantiated claims being made by some firms when it comes to their role in the sector. People need to take care.
Claiming compensation for an HIV status data leak
Victims of an HIV status data leak can be entitled to make a claim for compensation. The Data Protection Act (both before and after the GDPR) can entitle you to make a claim where your personal information has been misused or exposed.
This kind of leak can also be a serious breach of patient confidentiality and can also lead to a loss of trust for patients in the services they continually need; e.g. for routine tests, examinations and for medicines.
We can tell you from a lot of experience in representing clients for these types of cases that the data breach compensation amounts can be significant. The loss of control of something as personal and sensitive as a medical status can cause permanent problems and a great deal of distress; the likes of which can be incredibly hard to even put into words.
A form of justice for an HIV status data leak
At the end of the day, no amount of compensation can ever truly make up for an HIV status data leak. It can, however, go some way to ensuring that the victim receives some form of justice, as money from fines issued by the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) doesn’t go toward compensation for those whose data has been misused or exposed.
Patients are well within their rights to make their own complaints to the ICO, but this doesn’t normally lead to compensation.
What victims need to do is speak to an expert firm of data breach lawyers, and that’s exactly what we are. Our proven track record and long history of fighting for justice in these types of cases speaks for itself, and we want to make sure that anyone that has been affected by an issue like this has a voice and a pathway to justice.
All our initial advice is strictly confidential and is there for you on a free and no-obligation basis. We can tell you if we think there’s a claim to make, and your case can be dealt with on a No Win, No Fee basis by a specialist team. Access to your information is even restricted internally, and we undertake additional security measures when it comes to corresponding with you.
Taking care
Not only do we specialise in data breach claims, but we also focus on serious compensation cases as well, and HIV status data leak cases fit within this category.
Over the last few years, there have been several high-profile breaches, and millions of people have fallen victim to incidents. This has triggered more law firms now looking to represent people for cases, and we’ve seen some concerning advertising from other firms.
Some firms are making big statements and unsubstantiated claims about their experience and where they are in the field of data breach claiming, which is a cause for alarm in our view. We always say that it’s best to speak to the firm and find out about their real experience and what they do, and how long for. If a firm is making claims that it cannot support, this should be a huge alarm bell.
What we say
If you ask us for advice about this kind of breach, we’d tell you about our experience over the last five years in representing people for HIV status leaks and breaches. We could also tell you about the dozens of different group and multi-party actions that we’re involved with, and the thousands who have come to us for our help. Although lawyers have decades of experience, we have specifically focused on data breach compensation claims for the last five years. This was around the time a number of high-profile breaches started taking place, and more people wanted to know about their rights for justice.
We’re also approached by the media a lot for comment on stories that have broken (including today as it happens). We prefer to let our experience speak for itself, so if you want to know more about whether we can help you, please don’t hesitate to speak to our team today.
The short message is that this is something that people now need to be very careful about. Data breach claiming isn’t like PPI, which is something we specifically did not get involved with as we felt people could just claim themselves without representation (and therefore without the cost). This is a complex area of law that required a great deal of understating about the issues within the law, as well as understanding how to help people whose control of personal information has been lost or abused.