The hospitals impacted by a cyberattack last month are being sued for millions.
Sarnia court services confirmed a $480 million class-action lawsuit was filed on November 15, 2023.
Bluewater Health, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, and Windsor Regional Hospital are all listed as defendants, as well as shared service provider TransForm.
The plaintiff, Robert Smith of Sarnia, launched the suit on behalf of all the patients affected by the breach that saw the theft of personal patient information including names, addresses, medical history, and social insurance numbers.
Some of the data was published online.
In a joint statement emailed to SarniaNewsToday the hospitals said they were unable to comment.
“Bluewater Health, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Windsor Regional Hospital, and our shared service provider TransForm Shared Service Organization, are in receipt of a lawsuit related to the recent cyber attack and, as this is now a legal matter before the courts, we will not be commenting. Please visit our website for updates on the cyber attack and restoration of services," read the statement.
In an update earlier this month, the hospitals announced they had hoped to have their patient charting systems fully restored by mid-December.
The investigation into the cyberattack continues by several law enforcement agencies, including INTERPOL and the F.B.I.