How To Claim Compensation For A Group Email Data Breach

Our guide aims to explore what you can do if you were involved in a group email data breach. You may have been contacted by an organisation to tell you that your personal data was involved in an email breach. Or you may have become aware of the problem yourself and are noticing adverse effects on your privacy. At Data Breach Claims, we can help.

Organisations have a responsibility to protect your personal data as described in the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Those entrusted with personal data are called controllers and processors and both have respective obligations to keep your information safe. If they fail and compromise your data, causing you mental harm or financial loss, you could qualify to claim data breach compensation.

In this guide, we explore these responsibilities and discuss what a data breach is. We offer examples of accidental human error and deliberate hacking acts that can expose personal data. In addition, we examine who is eligible to launch a data breach claim. As well as the compensation that could apply if the claim is a success. We conclude with an explanation of the benefits of hiring a No Win No Fee solicitor to represent your case.

Being affected by a group email data breach can be disruptive and distressing. If you would prefer to speak in person about making a data breach claim, you can discuss your case with our advisors now. You can chat with us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for free by:

Calling 0208 050 3051
Speaking with an advisor via the live chat function below.
Filling out our online contact form.

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When Could You Claim For A Group Email Data Breach?
How Could A Group Email Data Breach Happen?
Potential Compensation From An Email Data Breach
What Evidence Could Help You Receive Data Breach Compensation?
Claim For An Email Data Breach Using A No Win No Fee Solicitor
Read More About How To Make A Data Breach Compensation Claim

When Could You Claim For A Group Email Data Breach?

For you to make an email data breach claim, there needs to be wrongful conduct on the part of the controller and/or processor. This is typically an act or inaction that fails to adhere to DPA and UK GDPR legislation. If this wrongful conduct resulted in:

A data breach that compromised the integrity, accessibility and confidentiality of your personal information. The breach must be caused by some form of positive wrongful conduct on the part of the organisation.
Causing you to suffer financial loss or psychological harm, you could have grounds to put forward a valid claim. Both facets must apply to have a valid case.

Personal data can be any information that is used in isolation or alongside other details as a means of identification. Name, address and contact details are some commonly shared examples. However personal data can extend to much more sensitive information known as special category data such as racial background, sexual orientation, religious and political beliefs, trade union affiliations and health data.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent body for upholding the rights and freedoms of data subjects. They monitor and enforce the data compliance expected from all organisations. They are also able to investigate suspected data breaches. Any organisation that is found to have committed a data breach can face a significant monetary fine and other enforcement actions.

You may not be sure what details about you were contained in the group email data breach. So if you would like help to understand your options, please get in touch with our team on the number above.

How Could A Group Email Data Breach Happen?

The ICO describes a personal data breach as an incident of unlawful destruction, alteration, disclosure or tampering with your data. With this in mind, a compensation claim after a group email data breach could be valid in the following example scenarios:

When a company includes the email addresses of every recipient before sending the email (failure to use the blind carbon copy security option), such as the case of the 56 Dean Street HIV clinic breach which saw the email addresses of all patients shared in a group email.
If the organisation has weak or insufficient cyber defences and, as a result, an email hack happens more easily.
Banks accidentally forward financial information to unauthorised colleagues or other customers.
Social services departments fail to check before forwarding an email to a joint email address. Thereby creating an opportunity for estranged partners to learn sensitive details.
A simple typo or clerical error in a retail store could result in an email going to the wrong recipient in a customer data breach.

Human error or deliberate acts of malice can make the unlawful sharing of personal information via email very damaging for the data subject. Whatever the precise circumstances of the group email data breach that impacted you, you can speak to our advisors in confidence for free help on your options to correct the damage.

Potential Compensation From An Email Data Breach

Personal data breach compensation claims that are successful mean your settlement could comprise material and non-material damage. Non-material damage aims to compensate for any mental health injuries that were caused or made worse because of the group email data breach. Material damage, which we’ll consider below, relates to the financial impact of a breach.

Examples of psychological conditions that you can claim for include anxiety, distress, depression or PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Claimants are also now able to seek compensation for psychological injury without necessarily claiming any financial losses.

Below we offer an example of compensation guideline amounts from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document is used by legal professionals to help value claims, but because each claim is unique, it is essential to remember these amounts are not guaranteed:

Award Bracket Examples

Below, you can find our compensation table. Please remember that these figures are just guidelines. For a more accurate estimate, please get in touch.

Type of Mental Harm	Severity	Award Bracket Guideline - From	To -	Details
General Psychological Harm	(a) Severe	£54,830	£115,730	Cases with a very poor future outlook and permanent impacts across all area of life.
	(b) Moderately Severe	£19,070	£54,830	A level of injury whilst initially severe, has a better predicted outcome for the person.
	(c) Moderate	£5,860	£19,070	Likewise issues to above but improvements seen before the possible need for trial.
	(d) Less Severe	£1,540	£5,860	Values here depend on length of illness.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)	(a) Severe	£59,860	£100,670	Acute trauma issues that damage all aspects of the person's life.
	(b) Moderately Severe	£23,150	£59,860	Better mental health outcomes seen after counseling and therapy.
	(c) Moderate	£8,180	£23,150	On the whole a recovery with persisting symptoms being manageable.
	(d) Less Severe	£3,950 to £8,180	£8,180	A recovery that is almost complete within 24 months, with minimal issues remaining.

Claiming Financial Losses In Data Breach Claims

If you wish to include financial losses in your group email data breach claim, it’s essential to have evidence to prove this. To prove material damage, you may have the following:

Bank statements and ATM slips that show a loss of funds in your account.
Evidence of a ruined credit score.
Proof of fraudulent credit card and debit card purchases after someone accessed your details.

You may have other expenses relating to the group email data breach. If so, please feel free to speak to our team to see if they can also be included in your data breach compensation calculations.

What Evidence Could Help You Receive Data Breach Compensation?

In this section, we explore other evidence and actions you can take if you’ve been impacted by a group email data breach:

The data controller/processor has to inform you about any personal data breach that affects your rights and freedoms. They need to do so without delay and also need to tell the ICO if it meets reportable standards to do so.
You can also complain to the controller or processor if you have your own data breach concerns. Any correspondence with them can be used as evidence in your claim.
You could also report the group email data breach to the ICO. They may decide to investigate the breach and their findings could provide supporting evidence for you. Please note, you are not legally obliged to inform the ICO as a condition for starting a claim.
As you wait for the outcome of any investigations or response, you can seek your own legal advice.

If you would like more free guidance on the actions and evidence you can use after the group email data breach, please contact one of our advisors.

Claim For An Email Data Breach Using A No Win No Fee Solicitor

You may have worries about the costs of hiring a data breach solicitor to represent your claim. At Data Breach Claims we can directly assist you by introducing eligible claimants to a solicitor from our panel. They can offer a type of No Win No Fee agreement–specifically, a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

There are typically no fees needed for your solicitor’s services if your case fails under a CFA. This means no upfront or ongoing costs and nothing to pay if there’s no successful outcome. If your claim wins, you will have to pay a success fee. However, a legislative cap keeps this amount restricted, meaning you always receive the bulk of your settlement.

Find out if you qualify for compensation after a group email data breach today. Our team of advisors are happy to offer legal advice on all aspects of the claims process. You can contact us by:

Calling the team on 0208 050 3051
Speaking via the live chat bubble below.
Filling out our online contact form.

Claim Compensation For An Email Data Breach

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