Slack & Davis And The Branch Law Firm File Class Action Lawsuit Against Community Health Systems Inc. For Data Breach And Negligence

Suit alleges lax security at 206 hospitals across 29 states allowed compromise of the personal records of nearly 4.5 million people

Two law firms with national litigation practices, Slack & Davis and The Branch Law Firm,recently joined forces to file a class action lawsuit against Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS), which owns and operates 206 hospitals in 29 states throughout the country. The suit alleges that CHS failed to implement and follow basic security procedures, making patients’ sensitive information, including their names, addresses, credit card numbers and social security numbers, accessible to hackers and financial predators such as identity thieves. The suit also alleges claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, negligence and violations of state laws.

On or around April and June 2014, an “Advanced Persistent Threat” group based in China accessed, copied and transferred patients’ sensitive information from CHS. The data breach compromised the personal records of nearly 4.5 million patients who had received services from CHS hospitals and clinics across the country.

“CHS systems were inadequate to deal with contemporary computer system threats. CHS was also slow to detect the breaches and take corrective action. Finally, CHS inexcusably failed topromptly inform at-risk patients and family members of the breach,” states Turner W. Branch, Senior Partner of The Branch Law Firm.

“CHS’ blatant disregard for its contract of trust with its patients—specifically ensuring that all health and personal information would be protected and secure—has harmed millions of people who are now at high risk for the serious consequences of identity theft,” said Michael Slack, Managing Partner at Slack & Davis.

Slack & Davis and The Branch Law Firm have demanded a trial by jury.

About Slack & Davis L.L.P
Founded in 1993, Slack & Davis L.L.P represents plaintiffs in litigation arising from air crashes; auto, commercial trucking or tractor-trailer collisions; oilfield, electrical and construction-site accidents; harmful prescription or over-the-counter drugs; defective medical devices and other dangerous products; and general negligence. The firm has 10 attorneys, with offices in Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth. For more information, visit www.slackdavis.com.

About Branch Law Firm
Branch Law Firm is a nationally recognized personal injury firm founded in 1966 known for representing plaintiffs in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. The firm has offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Houston, Texas and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.branchlawfirm.com.