Paul v. Providence Health System-Oregon

The issue in this case is whether a healthcare provider can be liable in damages when the provider’s negligence permitted the theft of its patients’ personal information, but the information was never used or viewed by the thief or any other person. Plaintiffs claimed economic and noneconomic damages for financial injury and emotional distress that they allegedly suffered when, through defendant’s alleged negligence, computer disks and tapes containing personal information from an estimated 365,000 patients (including plaintiffs) were stolen from the car of one of defendant’s employees. The…