Morrisons' Data Leak: A lesson for employers

At the end of 2017, judgment was handed down in the important case of Various Claimants v Wm Morrison Supermarket Plc (2017), which concerns vicarious liability resulting from criminal misuse of data by an employee.  The trial was only concerned with whether or not Morrisons was liable; damages will be assessed at a separate hearing.  In this article we look at the facts of the case and what lessons can be learnt from the judgment. 
 

This case is timely given the upcoming enforcement date of the European General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), under which the frequency of employee group actions is expected to increase.