Legal groups filed the first class-action lawsuit in August. The second lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Hartford, Conn., claims Aetna mailed letters across 20 states revealing HIV prescriptions and members’ names through the envelopes’ transparent windows.
Plaintiffs in the second case are two Florida residents and one Illinois resident, according to the report. The plaintiffs contend at the end of July, the Hartford, Conn.-based payer “recklessly and unlawfully revealed confidential HIV-related information,” causing harm and “risk of stigma and ostracism in their personal and professional lives” for affected members.
Neither the plaintiffs nor Aetna responded to Connecticut Law Tribune‘s request for comment.
Earlier this month, Aetna said it will reimburse affected members claiming direct financial hardship from the alleged privacy breach, as well as provide counseling services.
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