I’m suing after private information about me was sent to colleagues
FORMER CIVIL SERVANT ISSUES COURT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST GOVERNMENT – AND IS SEEKING UP TO £50,000 IN DAMAGES
A FORMER civil servant is suing the government department where he worked after ‘highly sensitive’ medical information about him was reportedly revealed to a dozen colleagues in an email.
Lawyers for Aftab Marchant have issued High Court proceedings against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and are seeking damages of up to £50,000.
They claim Mr Marchant, from Levenshulme, who was a telephone agent at a DWP contact centre in Greater Manchester, suffered serious upset and distress having reportedly discovering ‘highly private’ information had been disclosed to workmates.
Nick McAleenan, a partner and data privacy law specialist at JMW Solicitors in Manchester, said: “This case concerns a serious breach of confidentiality and misuse of our client’s private and very personal information.
“Our client was devastated that extremely private and confidential information relating to him and his family was disclosed without his consent.
“It caused him considerable upset, anxiety, embarrassment and distress. He feels a profound sense of betrayal.
“He holds the DWP liable for the conduct of the employee who leaked the information.”
Mr Marchant, 39, who now works in logistics, is claiming damages for distress and personal injury, alleging a breach of the Data Protection Act and the law of privacy and confidential information.
The incident has also been reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Mr Marchant claims an email was sent by a superior to a colleague – with 10 other DWP employees copied in – which contained ‘sensitive’ medical information, which he had requested stayed confident.
Mr Marchant says he discovered the information had been disclosed when one of his colleagues mentioned it to him after he returned to work from annual leave.
He says he felt as though he had became the subject of gossip at work and lost confidence in his ability to perform his duties.
“I would never have consented to the information being disclosed and was horrified to discover it had been shared with my colleagues,” Mr Marchant said.
“It had a very serious impact. I broke down in tears when I found out about the email.”
He added: “The breach and its impact were an absolute nightmare. I also felt excluded from the internal investigation which took place in my absence after the event.”
A DWP spokesman said: “We cannot comment on an ongoing legal case. We take complaints seriously and have a rigorous process in place to handle them.”