Former Teacher Sues Over Release of Social Security Numbers

A former Chicago teacher has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the city's public schools, alleging that a contractor illegally disclosed the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of some 1,700 retirees when it mailed them information about health benefits.

Plaintiff Mark Cohen says the school system and the Chicago Board of Education violated the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act by failing to notify the recipients that their personal information had been compromised.

The contractor allegedly responsible for the improper mailings, All Printing & Graphics Inc., is also named as a defendant in the Cook County Circuit Court lawsuit.

Cohen raises concerns of identity theft, blackmail, loss of personal and real property, publication of medical information, and other "untold injuries" to himself and others as a result of the defendants' actions.

Cohen claims that the defendants failed to take adequate measures to avoid what occurred when All Printing sent out packets of documents related to health care coverage last fall.

Cohen says he received a 125-page packet of documents that included not only his name, address and Social Security number, but also the same information for more than 1,700 other people.

The information was handed out "with reckless abandon," and most of the recipients are not even aware of the data security breach, Cohen claims.

"The extent of the injuries caused by this violation, an act which defies common sense in this age of identity theft, may be felt tomorrow or after many years have passed," the complaint says.

Cohen and the other recipients he seeks to represent are entitled to compensation and punitive damages for the unauthorized disclosure of their personal information, the lawsuit says.

In addition to a claim brought under the Personal Information Protection Act, the complaint alleges violation of the state's Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. The law prohibits the posting or public display of someone's Social Security number. Cohen says the defendants violated the statute more than 1,700 times.

They also violated the state' common-law right of privacy, the complaint says.

Cohen is asking the court for an injunction to stop the dissemination of the class members' personal information.