A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Washington State University, claiming its negligence led to a burglary that put sensitive data at risk.
The lawsuit filed in King County in December consolidates several complaints that were filed separately after confidential information was stolen from the university last year.
Burglars took a safe from a self-storage facility in downtown Olympia last April. The safe contained a hard drive that had data from nearly 1.2 million people, including names, Social Security numbers, and personal health records.
The hard drive belonged to WSU’s Social and Economic Sciences Research Center.
The lawsuit claims the university violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act.
WSU officials say the school is continuing work to improve its cybersecurity. (AP)
