Large Atlanta law firm hit with data breach and associated lawsuit

It is facing a proposed class action lawsuit filed in federal court in Atlanta on Thursday by a West Virginia resident who alleges he is one of around 37,000 people now at risk of fraud and identity theft.

In his complaint, plaintiff Travis Wilson said the information the firm failed to protect included first and last names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and addresses. He alleged the data was provided to the firm either directly by individuals or through third parties doing business with the firm.

Troutman Pepper said the employee targeted in the attack mistakenly sent documents to an unauthorized party before becoming suspicious and reporting the incident to the firm’s IT security team. The firm said its relationships with clients are founded on transparency and trust.

“This was an isolated incident and did not impact our operations,” the firm said. “At no point did an unauthorized party gain access to our environment. We identified the scope of information potentially involved and will communicate directly with our clients if there is additional information to share.”

Wilson’s lawyers in the case did not comment Tuesday.

His complaint alleges the attack was announced on the “dark web” by a group called “SilentRansomGroup,” which claimed responsibility. He said Troutman Pepper had not warned him about the breach.

Wilson seeks, among other things, compensation for lifelong identity theft protection services. He said he and others remain in the dark about much of the incident, as well as what steps the law firm is taking to secure private information going forward.