Court Reinstated Class Action Against Columbus
The 10th District Court of Appeals revived a lawsuit involving a 2024 ransomware attack on the city.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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A class action lawsuit targeting the city of Columbus over a 2024 ransomware attack has been reinstated by the 10th District Court of Appeals. The decision unanimously overturned a previous ruling that had dismissed the case against the municipality.
Why it matters
The ruling suggests that local governments may hold a duty of care to protect the sensitive information they collect from residents. The case now proceeds after a lower court judge had initially sided with the city's argument of immunity regarding the data breach.
The breach resulted in the exposure of private information for 500,000 individuals. The legal dispute centers on whether the city bears liability for failing to protect this data.
The players
10th District Court of Appeals
This is an intermediate appellate court in Ohio that hears cases appealed from the courts of common pleas.
City of Columbus
This is the municipal government currently facing legal action regarding the security of its data systems.
The details
Plaintiffs in the case argue that the city maintains a responsibility to secure personally identifiable information collected from the public. The appellate court found that the Franklin County judge acted prematurely when dismissing the lawsuit last year.
Timeline
The city of Columbus suffered a major ransomware attack during 2024.
A Franklin County judge dismissed the class action lawsuit in October 2025.
The 10th District Court of Appeals reinstated the lawsuit in September 2026.
The Tech Race
This case challenges the limits of the Ohio governmental immunity doctrine by testing whether municipal entities are liable for data security failures. The ruling marks a significant judicial shift that limits how broad immunity protections apply to digital infrastructure.
Residents who were affected by the 2024 data breach may now be able to pursue claims as the class action lawsuit moves forward. This decision reinforces the expectation that local agencies must prioritize the security of sensitive personal information.
The takeaway
The appellate ruling serves as a warning that municipalities cannot rely on total immunity when handling public data. Residents should remain vigilant about their personal security as legal proceedings continue to unfold.
Further reading
For broader context on data protection legal battles, visit the Cybersecurity section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NBC4i.
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