Morrisons faces vast bill after staff data leaked

MORRISONS faces a potentially ‘vast’ payout to thousands of staff whose personal details were posted on the internet by a rogue employee.

The retailer yesterday lost its challenge against a ruling giving the go-ahead for compensation claims by more than 5,500 of the workers affected. Three Court of Appeal judges in London backed a decision by the High Court that Morrisons was ‘vicariously liable’ for the actions of Andrew Skelton, a senior auditor at its Bradford HQ. In 2014 he leaked the payroll data of around 100,000 employees, including addresses, bank details and salaries.

Victims said this exposed them to the risks of identity theft and financial loss. Morrisons argued that it could face ‘compensation claims on a potentially vast scale’ and could not be held liable. But the appeal judges dismissed its case.