Class action lawsuits have been filed against Marriott
International following a data breach that exposed the information of roughly
500 million guests.
Murphy, Falcon & Murphy and co-counsel Morgan &
Morgan filed a national class action in U.S. District Court in Maryland on
behalf of consumers whose personal information (including names, email addresses,
payment card information and passport information) was stolen.
The lawsuit alleges that Marriott failed to ensure the
integrity of its servers and to properly safeguard consumers' information.
Another class action seeks damages on behalf of investors
acquiring Marriott securities between Nov. 9, 2016 and Nov. 29, 2018.
According to the complaint, filed by Bragar Eagel &
Squire, P.C. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York,
Marriott failed to adequately disclose that the Marriott and Starwood systems
were not secure during the class period and that a data security breach had
been ongoing since 2014.
In addition to the lawsuits, Marriott is facing pressure
from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY.). Schumer released a statement on Sunday urging
the hotel giant to pay passport replacement costs for consumers affected by the
breach.
Schumer told Marriott that "the clock is ticking to
minimize the risk customers face," and that passport replacement would "make
it harder for thieves to paint that full identity picture."