SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - A Washington man is suing a health insurance company, alleging it allowed access to consumers' private information without their consent.
Simon Kaufman, individually and for all others similarly situated, filed a class action lawsuit March 1 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Amerigroup Washington, alleging violations of Washington's Consumer Protection Act.
The suit alleges when Kaufman and others in the class obtained or utilized health insurance services from Amerigroup, the defendant took possession of consumers' private information, including social security numbers, financial and biographical information, medical histories and records, and other data.
In early 2014, the complaint states, Amerigroup allowed one or more third parties to take possession of its consumers' private information without the consumers' prior consent. The lawsuit says the defendant did not inform its consumers of this fact until about a year later.
As a result, the plaintiff and other class members had their property, trade and privacy injured, according to the suit.
Kaufman and others in the class seek declaratory and injunctive relief, actual and treble damages, attorney fees and other costs of the suit. They are represented by attorneys Albert H. Kirby of Sound Justice Law Group in Seattle, and Catherine J. Fleming and Brad J. Moore of Stritmatter Kessler Whelan in Seattle. The defendant removed the case to federal court in Seattle in March.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington case number 2:16-cv-00306