AUBURN, Maine — Customers affected by the data breach at Hannaford Bros. stores may not claim damages from the retailer unless they can show they suffered financial losses as a direct result of the breach, Maine’s Supreme Court ruled this week.
The decision stipulates that “time and effort” required of consumers to change credit card numbers as a result of the breach was not an injury for which they could seek negligence damages from Hannaford, sparing the retailer from a class-action lawsuit.
Hackers stole 4.2 million credit- and debit-card numbers from shoppers who used Hannaford’s payment systems in 2008. “The tort of negligence does not compensate individuals for the typical annoyances or inconveniences that are a part of everyday life,” Judge Joseph Jabar wrote in an 11-page decision.
