Paychex is being sued for negligence after an April data breach exposed workers’ names and Social Security numbers.
The lawsuit, initiated by a Florida worker, was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of New York on July 11.
According to court documents, Paychex delayed notifying affected people for a month after the breach was discovered.
The plaintiff claims Paychex’s inadequate cybersecurity measures allowed unauthorized access to personal information during an attempted data exchange with the State of California.
The lawsuit accuses Paychex of failing to protect the personal data of workers whose employers use the company’s payroll services.
The plaintiff is seeking injunctive relief, damages, restitution, and reimbursement for legal costs.
Paychex has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
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Data breaches involving employee information have frequently led to class-action lawsuits.
For example, in June, former and current Panera employees proposed a class-action suit after a breach exposed their personal data.
They alleged a failure to protect the information and a three-month delay in notification.
Similarly, in February, Golden Corral was sued for allegedly failing to secure employee data and delaying notification for six months after a breach that affected over 180,000 people.
In a notable case from 2021, HR vendor UKG experienced a significant data breach.
It disrupted core HR functions and resulted in millions of dollars in damages due to lost wages and benefits.
