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Comment by declan_roberts | Hacker News Reader

I would like to sue AT&T in small claims for this and for leaking my Social Security number. But it's difficult to prove damages in these situations.

Does anybody have any advice? Proving damages means showing actual monetary harm.

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You likely cannot file in small claims and would need to pursue arbitration instead.

> Please read this Agreement carefully. It requires you and AT&T to resolve disputes through arbitration on an individual basis rather than jury trials or class actions.

https://www.att.com/legal/terms.consumerServiceAgreement.htm...

- AT&T will usually pay all of the arbitration fees (with some exceptions).

That could get pretty expensive for them quickly.

And look for Arbitration clause in your contract. Might limit your options.

I was not a customer with AT&T when they leaked my Social Security number.

IANAL but this would seem like a “class action” situation.

At&t customers are bound to individual arbitration so there will be no class action lawsuit for this.

> Please read this Agreement carefully. It requires you and AT&T to resolve disputes through arbitration on an individual basis rather than jury trials or class actions.

https://www.att.com/legal/terms.consumerServiceAgreement.htm...

I was not a customer of AT&T when the leak happened.

I also ANAL but if I recall correctly, you can decline to be represented in the class, and file your own lawsuit

Very difficult to run these days. Since 2018, federal courts have ground away many of the legal routes needed to run a successful class action suit against a national or multinational corporation.

can't wait to get that check in the mail for $1.32

I got a check in the mail last week for 12¢ from Google hoovering up my data. Yes, that's twelve cents!

Google certainly made more off of my data than that.

costs more to mail a letter

True but personally I also wouldn’t want to go through the time and expense to sue them solo. At least in a class action the company faces some penalty that’s possibly meaningful to them (even if it’s not meaningful to most of the claimants).

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