Latest news with #WillRichmondCoggan
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Post Office to compensate hundreds of data breach victims
Hundreds of former subpostmasters are to be compensated by the Post Office after it accidentally leaked their names and addresses online last year. The Post Office confirmed it has agreed to pay individuals either £5,000 or £3,500, depending on whether they were living at the address leaked at the time, while higher claims may be pursued in 'special cases'. The data breach was revealed last June when it emerged the personal details of 555 victims of the Horizon IT scandal had been published on the Post Office's website. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has launched an investigation. A Post Office spokesman said: 'We have written to all named individuals either directly or via their solicitors. 'If there are any individuals whose name was impacted by last year's breach, but who have not received information about the payment for some reason, they can contact us or ask their solicitors if they have legal representation. 'In the meantime we remain in full co-operation with the ICO's investigation, which was opened following our initial self-referral when the breach was discovered.' The law firm acting for the subpostmasters, Freeths, said it has been told most of those affected will receive a 'significant interim compensation payment', and confirmed that 348 of its clients have already received an interim settlement. Will Richmond-Coggan, the lawyer at Freeths leading the claim, said: 'We welcome the progress we have made with this case but there is still a long way to go to recognise the devastating impact of this breach for those affected. 'My team will continue to use our considerable expertise in matters like these to secure a final resolution to this situation which reflects the severity of the impact on our clients.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Post Office to compensate hundreds of data breach victims
Hundreds of former subpostmasters are to be compensated by the Post Office after it accidentally leaked their names and addresses online last year. The Post Office confirmed it has agreed to pay individuals either £5,000 or £3,500, depending on whether they were living at the address leaked at the time, while higher claims may be pursued in 'special cases'. The data breach was revealed last June when it emerged the personal details of 555 victims of the Horizon IT scandal had been published on the Post Office's website. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has launched an investigation. A Post Office spokesman said: 'We have written to all named individuals either directly or via their solicitors. 'If there are any individuals whose name was impacted by last year's breach, but who have not received information about the payment for some reason, they can contact us or ask their solicitors if they have legal representation. 'In the meantime we remain in full co-operation with the ICO's investigation, which was opened following our initial self-referral when the breach was discovered.' The law firm acting for the subpostmasters, Freeths, said it has been told most of those affected will receive a 'significant interim compensation payment', and confirmed that 348 of its clients have already received an interim settlement. Will Richmond-Coggan, the lawyer at Freeths leading the claim, said: 'We welcome the progress we have made with this case but there is still a long way to go to recognise the devastating impact of this breach for those affected. 'My team will continue to use our considerable expertise in matters like these to secure a final resolution to this situation which reflects the severity of the impact on our clients.'
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Hundreds of Post Office data breach victims to receive compensation
The Post Office is set to compensate hundreds of former sub-postmasters whose personal information was inadvertently leaked online, the BBC has reported. The data breach, which occurred last June, exposed the names and addresses of 555 individuals caught up in the Horizon IT scandal. The Post Office has confirmed that individual compensation payouts will be capped at £5,000, with victims receiving either £5,000 or £3,500 depending on whether the leaked address was their current residence. While the capped amount offers a base level of redress, the Post Office has indicated that individuals may still pursue claims for higher compensation. This incident follows the widespread Horizon scandal, where faulty accounting software led to wrongful prosecutions of numerous sub-postmasters. The statement said: 'We have written to all named individuals either directly, or via their solicitors. 'If there are any individuals whose name was impacted by last year's breach, but who have not received information about the payment for some reason, they can contact us or ask their solicitors if they have legal representation.' Law firm Freeths told the BBC that 348 clients who had their data breached had already received payment. Lawyer Will Richmond-Coggan said: 'We welcome the progress we have made with this case, but there is still a long way to go to recognise the devastating impact of this breach for those affected.'
