First Circuit Revives Data Breach Class Action Claims In Webb V. Injured Workers Pharmacy, LLC

Courts and class action counsel have been considering what kinds of injuries can confer standing to pursue federal claims following the Supreme Court's 2021 decision in TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez, which held that the defendants' alleged actions that "deprived [plaintiffs] of their right to receive information in the format required by statute" was not sufficient to establish a concrete injury necessary to bring a claim. Ever since the TransUnion decision, the question of what is sufficient injury has been reverberating throughout the lower courts and reaching federal courts of appeal.

The First Circuit has now confronted that question on multiple occasions, including its 2022 decision in Laufer v. Acheson (now on appeal to the Supreme Court) that held "dignitary harm" from discrimination was sufficient, along with allegations of "frustration and humiliation" to confer standing on a serial plaintiff who is a website accessibility tester. For more on Laufer, see our pre