Maine Supreme Court Asked to Clarify Data Breach Law on Damages

Maine’s supreme court may have the final say over whether victims of the Hannaford supermarket chain’s data breach can sue for damages.

A federal judge who’s considering a class-action lawsuit asked the Maine Supreme Judicial Court whether consumers who’ve been reimbursed for losses from stolen credit card numbers have the right to seek damages for the time and effort it took to straighten out their accounts.

At least 1,800 numbers stolen during the Hannaford data breach two years ago were used for unauthorized purchases.

The Bangor Daily News says federal Judge D. Brock Hornby submitted the questions to the supreme court last week after lawyers asked him to reconsider his earlier ruling to dismiss the suit.