Decision on whether to dismiss RIPTA data breach lawsuit expected Friday

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A decision on whether to dismiss a lawsuit against the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority and UnitedHealthcare of New England is expected Friday.

A court hearing on the motion was held Thursday amid the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island suing over RIPTA’s data breach.

The attorney argued that the claim should be dismissed as there is no way to tie the breach to fraudulent activity.

The defense argued that one year is not enough time to gather all of the information to determine how the breach happened.

The ACLU announced the lawsuit in October.

The data breach leaked the personal information, including Social Security and Medicare identification numbers, of about 22,000 people.

Nearly 5,000 were RIPTA employees and some of the additional 17,000 were employees of other state agencies.

According to the lawsuit, RIPTA notified people that their personal information was hacked 138 days after discovering the breach.

The ACLU argued negligence against both agencies and sought legal relief for those affected.