Class action lawsuit filed against Sony for security breach

As expected, the first federal class action lawsuit addressing the recent PSN security breach has been drawn up and submitted to the Northern District Court of California. The complaint, which was filed by the Rothken Law Firm representing 36-year-old Alabama resident Kristopher Johns (as well as every other affected PSN user), accuses Sony of "failure to maintain adequate computer data security of consumer personal data and financial data," and of failing to take "reasonable care to protect, encrypt, and secure the private and sensitive data of its users."

The suit also accuses the company of waiting too long to inform users about the breach, preventing them from making "an informed decision as to whether to change credit card numbers, close the exposed accounts, check their credit reports, or take other mitigating actions." The suit is seeking compensatory damages for the time and costs required to check their credit reports or change their credit or debit card information, as well as compensation for the PSN downtime.

According to IGN, Rothken Law Firm co-counsel J.R. Parker said in a statement, "Sony's breach of its customers' trust is staggering." He added, "Sony promised its customers that their information would be kept private. One would think that a large multinational corporation like Sony has strong protective measures in place to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of personal information, including credit card information. Apparently, Sony doesn't."

A PDF of the court document is embedded after the jump.