News
West Virginia AG Files Lawsuit Over Equifax Data Breach
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
MADISON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Equifax over a data breach last year that the lawsuit says affected about 740,000 West Virginia residents.
The lawsuit alleges Atlanta-based Equifax ignored warnings to secure its system, failed to safeguard consumer information and stalled in telling the public.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Boone County Circuit Court. It seeks $150,000 for each security breach and $5,000 for each violation of the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act, as well as legal costs.
Equifax spokesman Wyatt Jefferies said in an email that the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
A total of about 147.9 million Americans have been affected by Equifax’s data breach. It was disclosed to the public on Sept. 7.