WSU Data Breach

Washington State University (WSU) advised the public that on April 21, 2017, a safe was stolen from an off-site self-storage facility in Olympia, Washington. A backup hard drive belonging to WSU was in the safe. That hard drive contained personal data, including social security numbers, of over one million people, whose privacy is now potentially compromised. WSU obtained this information through inter-agency agreements with state and local agencies and school districts in order to conduct studies on behalf of those public agencies. In June 2017, WSU sent letters to individuals whose data was on the hard drive, offering them one year of free credit monitoring. Tousley Brain Stephens PLLC, led by attorneys Kim Stephens and James Bulthuis, is one of several law firms that represents the plaintiffs in the putative class action on behalf of the 1+ million people whose identity was put at risk.

On April 18, 2019, King County Superior Court preliminarily approved a settlement in the case. The university has set up a website with information for plaintiffs: WSUSettlement.com, and will mail notices and claim forms to those affected. The hearing for final settlement approval is scheduled for October 25, 2019.

Case Documents

Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint

Chase...thank you for your professional assistance in the resolution of the recent lawsuit against me. I could not have obtained such a favorable outcome without your assistance even though I am a lawyer myself and have handled similar matters during my over 40 year legal career.

You have saved me tens of thousands of dollars over what I could have obtained had I tried to handle the matter myself. With hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake you were worth every penny of your most reasonable fee. Beyond that was the peace of mind for both me and my wife during the process, and you can’t put a price tag on that. Your knowledge and expertise were much appreciated.
Stanley R. Byrd Contact Us
Kevin is a great fit for the issue he helped with and continues to help with. We have followed him from another firm to TBS and have worked with him for 10 years now...I appreciate Kevin and what he continues to do to assist us.
Leif Langlois Contact Us
Janissa - I would never talk to any lawyer about anything until I talk to you first. You are just simply AMAZING and not only did you go completely above and beyond to ensure my daughter's trust was safe and secure, but every time I thought I couldn't go on, you constantly assured me that everything would be all right.
Sophia Cosola Contact Us