Lawsuits filed after Novant Health data breach

Several lawsuits have been filed against Novant Health after the company admitted this summer that patient data may have been sent to Facebook.

Four lawsuits have been filed against the company since August. That’s when the health care system sent a letter to 1.3 million patients, explaining that their data may have been compromised.

The letter said a Facebook tracking pixel was installed on Novant’s patient portal and website. The tool was intended to gauge the success of marketing efforts, but lawsuits allege it was misconfigured and sent sensitive health information back to Facebook. 

The plaintiffs say the company failed to protect their personal information and are suing for invasion of privacy and breach of contract, among other things.

Plaintiffs in all four suits recently sought to consolidate their cases into one class action suit. A decision on that issue is pending. 

Novant Health declined to comment for this story, citing the ongoing litigation.