On March 6, 2013, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California held that a putative class of LinkedIn premium users lacked standing to pursue state law unfair competition, breach of contract, and negligence claims resulting from a hacking incident. The court dismissed the complaint, concluding that the plaintiffs failed to establish any legally cognizable injury and any causation between the alleged incident and any alleged economic harm.

LinkedIn, the online community for professional networking, offers both free and premium paid accounts to consumers. The Privacy Policy applicable to both types of accounts provides that user information will be protected with “industry standard protocols and technology,” but notes that it provides no guarantee that LinkedIn’s security will be able to prevent all security breaches. On June 6, 2012, hackers infiltrated LinkedIn’s computer systems and posted 6.5 million user passwords and email addresses. LinkedIn subsequently updated its password encryption method to prevent future breaches.

A putative class of premium LinkedIn users filed an amended complaint alleging unfair competition, breach of contract, and negligence claims. LinkedIn filed a motion to dismiss for lack of standing, which the court granted.Continue Reading Allegation of Data Breach Alone Insufficient to Sustain Claims Based on Inadequate Cybersecurity Under California Law