Mercer University seeks dismissal of cyber attack data-breach lawsuit
Lawyers for Mercer University have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by four former students and a past instructor seeking unspecified damages in the wake of a data-security breach pulled off by cybercriminals early this year.
In a motion filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Macon, the school’s attorneys argued that the plaintiffs’ claims fail to show that they suffered any “cognizable loss” as a result of the breach.
Mercer’s lawyers, in their motion, mention “a data security incident” from mid-to-late February in which cybercriminals “accessed certain data.”
The university was said to have become aware of the breach in early April.
The school, according to the motion, investigated the episode and “confirmed that some files accessed during the Incident (sic) may have included personal information of current and former employees and students.”
“As the Court (sic) is likely aware,” the motion further noted, “class action lawsuits often follow data incidents regardless of the circumstances. Plaintiffs here filed suit against Mercer within two weeks of receiving notice of the Incident (sic). But plaintiffs do not plead any misuse of their data or fraudulent activity as a result.”
A hearing on the matter was set for Dec. 13.