Businesses and other organizations routinely collect stores of information about their customers, clientele and others they deal with. This data can include detailed personal and financial details that can be misused in the wrong hands. Despite an organization’s best efforts to keep this data secure, it can be hacked, stolen and otherwise released to unauthorized... Read More ..read more

Companies engaged in consumer transactions regularly collect data about their customers. This can include sensitive information, such as an individual’s social security number, bank and credit card numbers and biographical details. Companies also gather information on customer shopping preferences, purchasing habits and the like and sell this data to other companies. This information, although presumably... Read More ..read more

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects citizens against “unreasonable search and seizure” and sets basic requirements for a warrant based “upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” But it’s important to know that police don’t always... Read More ..read more

Identity theft occurs when one person gets hold of another’s personal information — such as a Social Security number, bank and credit account numbers and records of other assets — and uses the data for purposes of financial gain. For victims of identity theft, the consequences can include large financial losses, inability to seek employment... Read More ..read more

Privacy of personal medical records is protected by federal and state law. Every person and organization involved in providing healthcare is obligated to keep patient medical records confidential. When providers fail in this duty and information ends up in the wrong hands, the law provides certain remedies for the individuals whose privacy has been compromised.... Read More ..read more

T-Mobile, the nation’s second largest wireless carrier, has agreed to pay $350 million to settle multiple class action lawsuits stemming from a massive 2021 data breach that exposed the personal information of around 76 million customers, including more than 68,000 in West Virginia. It is the second largest data breach settlement in history, trailing only... Read More ..read more

Sexual abuse victims in West Virginia and around the nation are finally getting a measure of justice for physical and psychological traumas suffered at the hands of members and employees of charitable organizations. Lawsuits across the country are holding revered institutions liable for harboring pedophiles and sexual predators who victimized untold numbers of people. Sexual... Read More ..read more

Along with the serious health risks associated with coronavirus, Americans are burdened by quarantine orders and similar directives that forbid them from seeing their loved ones, even for major events such as holidays and birthdays. It can be tempting to try to break the rules, especially for people who believe that they don’t fall into... Read More ..read more

  The novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is not only potentially deadly, but can be transmitted by individuals who are not showing any symptoms, so people might fear that they’ve contracted the illness even if they feel fine. While the virus has existed in the United States for months, obtaining a test is still difficult... Read More ..read more

Once Americans came to understand how deadly the coronavirus can be and how easily it is passed from person to person, transportation habits changed. Not only did people drastically curtail business and personal travel, but many stopped going to their workplaces. That has led to a reduction in car accidents at the same time that... Read More ..read more