Attorney General Richard Blumenthal cited illegal negligence, unauthorized use of state property and breach of contract in connection with the loss of confidential information on 58 Connecticut residents and hundreds of state bank accounts and purchasing cards as the reason for the suit.
State Comptroller Nancy Wyman's office had contracted with Accenture, which was responsible for implementing a new computer system, according to the same release. The lawsuit, the release goes on to say, alleges that Accenture converted state property to its own use without the state's permission, acted negligently and violated its contract by allowing the data to be placed on a state of Ohio backup computer tape that was later stolen. Blumenthal's office says that while the theft occurred in June, Wyman's office was not notified until Sept. 4.
The state is seeking damages and reimbursement for costs associated with securing the released data, as well as funds it had already paid the consultancy for its work.
For its part, Accenture released a statement on its Web site. It reads, in part, "Accenture is conducting a review of the Connecticut data security matter and, based on what we know today, we believe that our policies were inadvertently not followed. We intend to take appropriate actions with any individuals involved and to reinforce with all of our employees, as we do on a regular basis, the importance of following our privacy and data-protection policies."
Accenture maintains that the released data did not fall into the hands of any third party. The consultancy also says that it is providing credit-monitoring services to the affected individuals.
To view the full release from Blumenthal's office, click here.
To read Accenture's full statement, click here.
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