Court of Appeal upholds 'surprising' Morrisons data leak ruling

Daniel Cooper spoke with The Law Society Gazette regarding a UK Court of Appeal decision that could make employers vicariously liable for employees’ actions even if they had taken preventative steps and bore no criminal responsibility.

Mr. Cooper said the employer should bear the enterprise risk and assume liability for the actions of its employees, as long as they are performed in the course of employment. He added that the result is likely to incentivize employers to try to reduce their exposure, by shifting the risk to third-party insurers, and monitoring staff handling personal data.