Your Legal Standing
Know your
rights.
When a company fails to protect your data, you have options. Federal and state laws give you specific rights — including the right to take legal action, at no cost to you.
This page provides general legal information, not legal advice. The rights available to you depend on your specific situation, the nature of the breach, and the laws of your state. For information specific to your circumstances, contact us directly.
The Right to Know
You may have a right to be notified of a breach.
Companies that experience a data breach are often required to tell you — and when required, must do so promptly.
All 50 states have data breach notification laws requiring companies to notify individuals when their personal information has been compromised. Federal laws including HIPAA impose additional notification requirements for healthcare-related breaches.
If a company notified you of a breach, that notification is the beginning of your rights — not the end of them. The notice is their acknowledgment that something went wrong with your data.
If you received a breach notification, keep it. It documents that you were affected and when you were told. It may be relevant if you pursue a legal claim.
You can fight back.
When a company’s failure to protect your data puts you at risk, you may have the right to pursue legal action to hold companies accountable and compensate for your harm.
Data breach lawsuits can be brought on a range of legal grounds, including negligence, breach of contract, and violations of state consumer protection and privacy laws. Some states have laws that provide for statutory damages — meaning compensation may be available even if you haven’t yet experienced specific financial harm.
Class actions permit individuals to collectively pursue claims that might be too small to litigate alone. In a data breach class action, the class representative often seeks to recover on behalf of all others impacted by the same data breach. If the case settles or if the class representative succeeds, other class members may be entitled to share in the recovery.
What this means for you
The exposure of your information — and the risk it creates — may be enough to have a claim. There is no cost to find out whether your situation may qualify.
Your costs stay at zero
unless we recover for you.
Experienced attorneys can represent you in a data breach case at no upfront cost — and many people pursue these cases not just for themselves, but to hold companies accountable for how they handle personal data.
Data breach cases handled by Zimmerman Reed are taken on a contingency basis. That means there are no fees or costs to you unless compensation is recovered on your behalf. You don’t need to have money to pursue your rights.
This levels the playing field. The companies responsible for protecting your data often have significant legal resources. You deserve the same quality of representation — without having to pay for it out of pocket.
If you decide to have us represent you, you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. There is no obligation to proceed after your free case review.
Deadlines matter.
Many legal claims have time limits. Waiting can limit your options.
The legal deadlines for filing claims, known as “statutes of limitations,” vary by state and by the type of claim. In many states, the clock starts when the breach is discovered or when you were notified, not when the breach actually occurred.
If you’ve received a breach notification, the most important thing you can do is find out your options sooner rather than later. The process to start is simple and there is no commitment required.
What this means for you
Even if you’re not sure you want to pursue a claim, finding out your options now may help you preserve them. Reaching out to us is free and no commitment is required unless you are ready to have us get started.
Data has value.
So does accountability.
Companies that collect and store your personal information have a legal obligation to protect it. When they fall short, the legal system provides a path to hold them responsible. Many people pursue these cases not only for themselves, but because they believe companies should be held responsible for how they manage your personal data.
See if we’re already
investigating your breach.
Search active investigations to see if your situation is one we’re looking into. No cost, no obligation.