Best Practices for Handling a Data Breach

A former employee filed a class-action lawsuit against Panera, following a data breach earlier this year. The suit claims that Panera is to blame for the breach, which exposed employees’ personal information, including Social Security numbers. Panera contacted affected employees and is providing a one-year membership in a program that provides credit monitoring, identity detection and resolution of identity theft. 

What can restaurant operators learn from this experience? What makes restaurant chain breaches unique compared to other industries? Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine reached out to Matt Green, partner and Deputy Chair of Obermayer’s Litigation Department, for insights on this topic. He concentrates his practice on commercial litigation and has experience in settlements in data breach cases.

Can you give a little breakdown on the case facts?Numerous cases have been filed by former employees, mostly in Missouri federal court, all stemming from a data…