OCALA – A Belleview man alleges his employer allegedly failed to protect sensitive information about its employees, putting them at risk for identity theft.
Jordan Whitehead filed a complaint on behalf of himself and all similarly situated employees on March 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Ocala Division against Advance Stores Co. Inc., doing business as Advance Auto Parts Inc., citing negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and invasion of privacy.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that he has suffered an increased risk of identity theft and tax fraud because of the defendant's actions. The plaintiff holds Advance Auto Parts Inc. responsible because the defendant allegedly voluntarily disclosed corporate files containing class members' sensitive information to a third party posing as an employee. The information allegedly included IRS Form W-2, Social Security numbers, 2015 gross wages and the states where the class members pay income tax.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensation for all damages, attorneys' fees and costs, prejudgment and post-judgment interest and any further legal and equitable relief as the law may require. He is represented by Jay P. Lecher and Jason M. Melton of Whittel & Melton LLC in St. Petersburg.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Ocala Division Case number 5:16-cv-00250