Alexis Buese Interviewed by Bay News 9 About Vetoed Florida Bill on Data Breach Liability

Bradley attorney Alexis Buese was interviewed by Bay 9 News regarding a bill vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that would have limited when businesses and local governments could be sued after a cyberattack.

Under House Bill 473, governments and businesses would have had to substantially comply with state laws on cybersecurity standards and securing personal information before they were protected. Businesses also would need to adopt a cybersecurity program that aligned with one of the bill's recommended frameworks.

Buese, who defends companies facing class action lawsuits after a data breach, testified before the Florida House of Representatives Commerce Committee in January in support of the bill.

"This bill is important, because it appropriately recognizes that covered entities can never fully eliminate the risk of cyberattacks," Buese said at the time.

"It is everything from infrastructure, hospitals, retailers, law firms — I mean, you name it," she said of the impacted industries.

When it comes to the outcome, Buese said that may not be what consumers expect.

"Often what happens is the plaintiffs' attorneys make a huge sum of money, while the consumers rarely, if ever, see any meaningful impact, and the business is kind of stuck in the middle," she said.

She explained the bill could've helped businesses and customers.

"It's great for consumers," she said. "It's encouraging businesses to be as scrupulous as they can to protect their data, but it's also great for businesses, because, hopefully, it can protect some of the costs from the class action lawsuits."

The full interview, “DeSantis vetoes bill that would have limited business, local government liability after data breach,” aired on Bay News 9 on June 26, 2024.