Two separate statements of claim for proposed class-action lawsuits against Casino Rama are expected to be filed Monday in courts in Toronto and Oshawa.
The firm Flaherty McCarthy LLP is the latest to jump in with a proposed $500 million dollar suit commencing in Oshawa against Casino Rama Inc., resort operator Penn National Gaming Inc. and the OLG.
The class-action suit is proposing to represent guests, employees and vendors who provided confidential information to Casino Rama.
"In our opinion, this breach of privacy is unprecedented in Ontario," said Sean Brown of Flaherty McCarthy LLP. "The scope of the breach is significant."
Two other firms, Charney Lawyers and Sutts, Strosberg, were first to announce a proposed $50 million class-action lawsuit after the casino revealed Thursday it was the victim of a cyberattack.
More than one-thousand people have already joined that proposed suit and more keep coming, according to one of the lawyers involved.
"Every minute we get another one. I can't believe it.," said Ted Charney, senior partner at Charney Lawyers. "About seventy-five percent are customers and twenty-five percent are current or former employees."
After announcing the cyber security breach Thursday, the Casino revealed Friday evening that the hacker had already made good on a threat to publisize the stolen data.
"There is now evidence that stolen customer and employee personal information has been published on the Internet," read a statement on the Casino's website.
"We urge past and present Casino Rama Resort employees and customers who have provided personal or financial information to the casino to actively monitor their financial accounts and information, and to report any suspicious activity immediately to their financial institutions," warned the casino.
Casino Rama Resort says it deeply regrets this situation and recognizes the seriousness of this issue.
The casino says there is an ongoing investigation into the cyberattack by various police agencies.
The resort has 2,500 slot machines and more than 110 gaming tables but casino officials said the games themselves were not hacked.
The casino won't reveal how many people are affected citing the ongoing police investigation but lawyers say anyone who used a credit card at the resort or provided any personal identification is a potential victim.
"We think it's massive," said Charney. "It goes back to 2004 and the type of information is quite sensitive"
None of the allegations has been tested in court.
BarrieToday.com has reached out to the casino for comment on the latest developments and will publish any statement as soon as it is received.
