Following a class-action filing in the U.S. on April 28th against Sony for its role in the PSN and Qriocity security break-in that compromised millions of customer's personal information, Toronto-based firm McPhadden Samac Tuovi LLP announced it has launched a similar suit.
Announcing the planned class-action suit, the group posted the following statement at its website:
McPhadden Samac Tuovi LLP has commenced a class action against Sony Corporation and other Sony companies related to the theft from Sony of personal information of PlayStation network and Qriocity service users. The theft may also include user credit card information.
The action has been brought on behalf of all persons in Canada who used Sony's online PlayStation network or Qriocity services up to May 2, 2011, and who provided Sony with personal and/or credit or debit card information.
MCST believes that one million PSN users are based in Canada, and despite Sony advising its American customers on services which may mitigate or prevent illicit activity (such as credit reports and identity theft protection) the firm alleges that similar offers have not been extended to Canadian gamers.
Natasha Maksimovic, a 21-year-old Mississauga, Ontario resident, is the sole-named plaintiff in the case as of press time.
"If you can't trust a huge multi-national corporation like Sony to protect your private information, who can you trust," asked Maksimovic. "It appears to me that Sony focuses more on protecting its games than its PlayStation users."
The aggrieved gamer shared her frustration with The Star, telling a reporter "I'm disappointed in the company to have something like this happen." Maksimovic also claimed she's "very loyal" to Sony.
The firm said it will seek $1 billion in damages from Sony on behalf of consumers.
Following a corporate apology on Sunday and the confirmation that over 24 million Sony Online Entertainment accounts were also compromised leading up to the PSN and Qriocity outage, Sony has mentioned the possibility of reimbursing customers who have cancelled credit cards as a result of the security breach and took the added precaution of identity theft protection.
MyCE reached out to MCST partner Zoran Samac for comment and clarification on the litigation and will update this story if he issues a reply.
