My Ex-Husband Was Sent My Personal Data – Can I Make A Data Breach Claim?

This guide explains how to claim compensation if your personal data is sent to your ex-husband in a data breach.

Ex-husband data breach

Ex-husband data breach claims guide

In this guide, we will explain what makes a claim eligible for compensation. We also discuss how your personal data could be shared with your ex-husband in a personal data breach, as well as the impacts that this could have on your mental and financial well-being.

This guide will also address compensation in personal data breach claims. We will discuss what kinds of harm you could claim compensation for, and how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you achieve a settlement.

For more information, we recommend you get in touch with an advisor from our panel. They can offer free legal advice, as well as answer any questions you may have regarding the claims process. To get in touch:

  • Call 020 3870 4868 to speak with our team of advisors
  • Request to claim online
  • Or talk to a member of our team through the live chat feature

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An Overview Of Ex-Husband Data Breach Claims

A data breach is a security incident which compromises the confidentiality, availability or integrity of your data. This is any information that could identify you as a living person, such as your email address, phone number, or postal address.

Under legislation such as the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), organisations are responsible for protecting the data they handle. This means that data controllers and data processors must adhere to the legislation above. A data controller decides why they need your data and how they will use it; a data processor then processes this data by following the controller’s instructions.

Read on to learn more about claiming compensation if your personal data was sent to your ex-husband in a data breach. Or, contact an advisor from our team to find out if you could make a claim.

How Could An Organisation Send Your Ex-Husband Your Personal Data?

Some examples of how your personal data could be sent to your ex-husband in a data breach can include:

  • An organisation sends an email containing personal data to your ex-partner’s email address.
  • Likewise, an organisation could copy your ex-husband into an email without using the BCC feature, allowing him access to your email address.
  • A data controller may verbally disclose your data to your ex-husband without a lawful basis.
  • Social services could provide your ex-husband with documents regarding your relationship, but fail to redact your data.

A personal data breach can occur in many ways, but not all will form the basis of a valid claim. We explain the criteria for claiming later on in this guide. Read on to learn more, or get in touch with our team if your personal data was shared with your ex-husband in a data breach.

Data Breach Trends In 2022

Suppose an organisation commits a data breach that threatens the data subject’s rights and freedoms. In that case, the data controller or processor must report the data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO uphold and enforce data protection legislation for UK residents. They also publish data security incident trends, which are based on reports they receive of data security incidents.

According to these reports, 18% of data security incidents were caused by emails being sent to the wrong recipient in 2022. Similarly, 10% of incidents were caused by personal data being posted or faxed to the wrong recipient.

Do You Claim Against Your Ex-Husband?

If an ex-husband’s data breach violates your data protection rights, you may wonder if you should claim against your former spouse or partner. You cannot claim against an individual, and such, you would claim against the organisation responsible for protecting your data.

A public body such as social services or a school may have sent your data to your ex-husband. Likewise, a divorce lawyer, estate agent or private counsellor data breach may also compromise your personal data.

You are not automatically entitled to claim compensation if your data was breached. To make a claim, you will need to provide evidence to prove the following:

  • The data controller or processor failed to adhere to legislation
  • This caused a breach of your personal data
  • You suffered harm because of this

Please get in touch with UK Law, and an advisor can assess your case to see if you are entitled to compensation if your personal data was sent to an ex-husband in a data breach.

How Could A Breach Of Data Protection Impact You?

If your data was breached, you might have experienced stress due to the data breach. If the data was sensitive, you might have found the incident particularly traumatic, and your mental health might have suffered as a result.

Victims of a data breach can also lose money or assets because of a data protection incident. For example, if your ex-husband was abusive and the data breach compromised your home address, you might have had to move to a new address.

Read on for more information on how much you could claim for the impacts of a personal data breach. Or, get in touch with our advisors for more information.

Check How Much You Could Claim For An Ex-Husband Data Breach

If you have experienced emotional distress after a data breach or psychiatric injuries such as anxiety, you may be able to claim non-material damage compensation for your injuries. Similarly, victims of a data breach can claim material damage compensation for any financial losses incurred.

You may be curious to know how much compensation you can receive. The table below illustrates guideline settlement amounts for non-material damage compensation based on the extent of the psychiatric injuries suffered. The table contents are based on guidelines published by the Judicial College. However, the table does not include material damage payments.

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Type Of Mental Health Injury Notes Payout Estimate
Mental Harm – Severe A Injured parties could face difficulties across multiple parts of their life, such as work and education. They have been given a poor prognosis. £54,830 to £115,730
Mental Harm – Moderately Severe B The person’s prognosis is better. However, they still face significant issues in multiple parts of their life. £19,070 to £54,830
Mental Harm – Moderate C The person faces a better prognosis and has made significant improvements. £5,860 to £19,070
Mental Harm – Less Severe D Settlements are impacted by factors such as the severity of symptoms suffered. £1,540 to £5,860
Anxiety Disorder – Severe A An anxiety disorder permanently causes negative impacts on multiple areas of the person’s life. They will not be able to function in the way they did prior to the incident. £59,860 to £100,670
Anxiety Disorders – Moderately Severe – B The injured party recovers to some degree. They do face the risk of suffering significant disabilities in the future. £23,150 to £59,860
Anxiety Disorders – Moderate C The person will have significantly recovered. Any symptoms which are still present will not be hugely disabling. £8,180 to £23,150
Anxiety Disorders – Less Severe D In around 12 – 24 months, the person should make a recovery. £3,950 to £8,180

You are not guaranteed to receive these payments if your claim succeeds. Please call our helpline for more information about making an ex-husband data breach claim.

Begin A No Win No Fee Claim For An Ex-Husband Data Breach

If an organisation breaches your personal data, please get in touch with UK Law to see if you can claim. If you are eligible to claim, an advisor from our team may connect you with an experienced No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel of solicitors to handle your claim.

Advantages to making a No Win No Fee claim can include:

  • You generally won’t pay any legal fees to your solicitor before your claim is settled.
  • If you win your claim, you will pay a success fee. There is no success fee to pay if you don’t receive compensation.
  • And there is a legal cap on this success fee, which is taken as a percentage.

Please get in touch with UK Law to see if you can claim compensation with the help of a solicitor from our panel:

  • Call 020 3870 4868 to speak with our team of advisors
  • Request to claim online
  • Or talk to a member of our team through the live chat feature

More Information About Family Data Breaches

You may find these guides helpful if your personal data was breached:

Or, for more resources:

Please get in touch with our team for more information if your personal data was sent to your ex-husband in a data breach.

Writer AL

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