A class-action lawsuit was filed against Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare and its affiliate, San Antonio, Texas-based Baptist Health System, over an April data breach that has affected 1.2 million patients, the Dallas Morning News reported July 12.
The lawsuit, filed July 5 in Dallas County, alleges that the health companies were negligent in protecting patient's health information and failed to properly notify patients of the data breach, according to the report. They also failed to meet the data security guidelines of the Federal Trade Commission, the suit alleges.
Neither company responded to the newspaper's request to comment.
The plaintiff, a Texas man, is seeking more than $1 million in damages.
Tenet Health and Baptist Health System learned about the data breach on April 20 and that the plaintiff wasn't notified until June 17, according to the lawsuit.
In an April 26 news release, Tenet said it launched an investigation of the breach "immediately" after learning of it, according to the report.
The protected health information of patients, including Social Security numbers, names, dates of birth, health insurance information, medical information, addresses, and billings and claims information were compromised in the breach.