Latest news with #ThompsonsSolicitors
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major update on bust IT firm after more than 100 Scots workers axed
Thompsons Solicitors are now representing more than 100 ex- Adarma staff who were booted out the door with no pay LEGAL WAR Major update on bust IT firm after more than 100 Scots workers axed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A top law firm has launched a legal war on behalf of furious workers ditched without a penny by a collapsed Scots cyber security firm. Thompsons Solicitors Scotland are now representing more than 100 ex- Adarma staff who were booted out the door with no pay, after the Edinburgh-based company plunged into administration last week. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Adarma offered a wide range of security services, including thread detection, security operations, bespoke security and managed data analytics Credit: PA:Press Association Shell-shocked employees were initially told the firm was on the hunt for a new buyer — only to be left stunned just days later when bosses pulled the plug completely. The Scottish Sun understands 173 axed workers across Scotland and England were then told they would not be getting their monthly salary or any of the other cash they were owed. The firm employed 176 people from its Edinburgh and London hubs. Now Thompsons — who've fought and won for hundreds of Scots dumped in similar sudden collapses — have stepped in to take on some of their cases, and are vowing to secure compensation. The legal outfit has previously bagged payouts for staff at Fife's Tullis Russell paper mill, Glasgow's Watt Brothers department store and warehouse workers in Ayrshire infamously given just 15 minutes' notice by a firm owned by retail mogul Mike Ashley. Paul Kissen, the top legal eagle heading up Thompsons' Protective Award Unit, blasted Adarma for the way they treated their workers. He said: 'Yet again, loyal, hardworking employees have been led up the garden path by a company that knew it was in trouble, but told them nothing. They've been treated with utter contempt. 'These workers are entitled to compensation through a protective award — and I'll make damn sure they get it. "Even staff who were only there a short time can expect several weeks' pay.' One former employee, who asked not to be named, revealed the cloak-and-dagger tactics used in the run-up to the company's collapse. Edinburgh Cybersecurity Giant Adarma Collapses with 173 Jobs Lost He said: 'We were told management was looking for new owners, but we were under strict orders to keep clients in the dark and make sure they kept paying. 'Not long after, we were told the company was in administration - and we weren't getting paid. We were completely kept in the dark and then dumped without warning. 'As usual, it's the workers who suffer while the top brass walk away.' Adarma, once a rising star in Scotland's booming tech scene, is now the latest high-profile casualty in the volatile IT sector. Adarma offered a wide range of security services, including thread detection, security operations, bespoke security and managed data analytics.
STV News
08-07-2025
- Business
- STV News
Over 1,000 join legal action against M&S after major customer data breach
Thompsons Solicitors launches class action against M&S after April's cyberattack exposed customer data Names, emails, addresses, and birth dates stolen — raising concerns over identity fraud and phishing scams M&S admits fault, estimating the breach could cost the company around £300 million Customers urged to beware of fake emails offering gifts; experts stress verifying sender details before clicking links M&S hopes to fully restore digital operations by August, following shutdowns to contain the breach More than 1,000 Scots have joined legal action against Marks & Spencer following a major cyber attack that compromised customer data, according to lawyers. Thompsons Solicitors said it is launching a class action lawsuit against the retail giant after a catastrophic data breach in April that saw personal details belonging to millions of customers stolen by cyber criminals. The action allows affected individuals to seek compensation collectively, rather than through individual claims. M&S has since admitted that the incident was the result of 'human error' and said the fallout is expected to cost the company around £300m. At the same time, the Co-Op Group was also targeted in a ransomware attack – believed to be part of a wider coordinated operation by criminals. The stolen information included names, email addresses, postal addresses, and dates of birth. Although no passwords or financial information were taken, experts warn that this kind of data could be used to commit identity fraud or enhance phishing scams. STV News Thompsons senior partner Patrick McGuire Thompsons senior partner Patrick McGuire said the legal action is still in its early 'onboarding' stages, but the number of claimants continues to grow rapidly. 'More and more people have approached us,' he told STV News. 'What that shows is how strongly Marks customers feel about that incident. They are upset, distressed and angry at the way the company treated them, the way it's been almost brushed under the carpet. 'Unless M&S can show they had absolutely nothing to do with the loss, that they could've done nothing else to prevent the loss from happening, they are liable in law to pay compensation. 'That's clearly the case in this incident; they did not do enough, they did not have robust enough systems, they are legally responsible.' Thompsons has previously represented clients in other data breach cases involving organisations such as Arnold Clark and the University of the West of Scotland. iStock Class action lawsuit filed against M&S following major data breach According to the UK Government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025, 43% of businesses reported experiencing at least one cyberattack or breach in the past year. The prevalence of ransomware attacks has also increased significantly, with an estimated 1% of all UK businesses – roughly 19,000 firms – affected in 2025, up from less than 0.5% in 2024. Mr McGuire said the trend should serve as a warning for all companies holding personal data. 'The legislation is perfectly clear; the people who hold our data have a very heavy burden to protect that data. When that doesn't happen, they are just as responsible in law as the hackers for injury, upset, and distress caused by that data loss,' he said. 'Marks & Spencer legally have nowhere to hide. I hope that means they will come to the table quickly and do the right thing, and pay their loyal customers compensation to which they're entitled.' A spokesperson for Marks & Spencer said they have not yet received any group litigation claims. The company also notified regulators soon after discovering the cyber incident and continue to work closely with them. The statement read: 'We wrote to our customers as soon as we could in relation to their personal data, making clear that no useable card or payment details or account passwords had been extracted during the cyber incident, and that there was no evidence that any customer data had been shared, which we continue to monitor and remains the case.' Last week, the boss of Marks & Spencer said he hoped its online operations would be running 'fully' within four weeks as it continues to recover from the damaging cyber attack. Stuart Machin told the retailer's annual general meeting: 'I have previously highlighted that it would take all of June and all of July, maybe into August but definitely by July. 'During the incident we chose to shut things down because we didn't want the risk of things going wrong. 'Currently, half of online is open but not areas like click and collect. Within the next four weeks we are hoping for the whole of online to be fully on. 'Then our focus will be getting the Donington site back and running. We're hoping that by August we will have the vast majority of this behind us and people can see the true M&S.' M&S has sent gift cards to some customers but scammers are also sending fraudulent emails offering afternoon tea hampers if you complete a survey. Consumer experts have warned to be suspicious of emails that come out of the blue. 'Check the email address it's sent from to see if it ends in ' before clicking on any links and if you are still in doubt, contact M&S directly to verify if it's legitimate,' said Lisa Webb, a consumer law expert at Which? Dave Excell, founder of Featurespace, said: 'Scammers have a wide range of tools in their armoury to make digital communications as convincing as possible, and button generation using embedded links that take the victim to another site are one such example.' Fraudsters are using embedded links and button generation to disguise malicious websites in emails Criminals often exploit current events to make their scams appear timely and legitimate AI tools like FraudGPT and deepfakes are being used to enhance the realism and effectiveness of scams 'Financial providers must continue to invest in technology such as AI to identify and prevent fraud in real-time, enabling banks to effectively work alongside their customers to help spot scams before it's too late,' Mr Excell said. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Glasgow-based law firm acting for claimants in Ford emissions case
A Glasgow law firm is representing claimants in a group action against Ford over diesel emissions. Thompsons Solicitors, based in Wellington Street, is acting for individuals and businesses in the case against several Ford companies. The action relates to alleged use of defeat devices in Ford diesel vehicles manufactured to Euro 5 or Euro 6 emissions standards, excluding Euro 6d and Euro 6d Temp. The devices are claimed to have unlawfully reduced the effectiveness of the vehicles' nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions control systems, causing loss and damage to the pursuers. The full public notice can be viewed at Read more: Man charged with assault and theft after incident Proceedings have been brought by Graeme Hamilton, acting as the representative party on behalf of the group. The case is being heard in the Court of Session. The action is being brought against Ford Motor Company, Ford Motor Company Limited, Fordwerke Gmbh, Ford Motor Company of Australia Pty Limited, Ford Retail Limited, FCE Bank Plc, and ALD Automotive Limited. Anyone who has not previously made a claim in the group proceedings but wishes to do so is invited to contact Thompsons Solicitors. The firm can be reached by email at mbemissions@ or by post at Patrick McGuire, Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, 70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, G2 6UA.
Glasgow Times
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow law firm representing claimants in group action
Thompsons Solicitors, based in Wellington Street, is acting for individuals and businesses in the case against several Ford companies. The action relates to alleged use of defeat devices in Ford diesel vehicles manufactured to Euro 5 or Euro 6 emissions standards, excluding Euro 6d and Euro 6d Temp. The devices are claimed to have unlawfully reduced the effectiveness of the vehicles' nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions control systems, causing loss and damage to the pursuers. The full public notice can be viewed at Read more: Man charged with assault and theft after incident Proceedings have been brought by Graeme Hamilton, acting as the representative party on behalf of the group. The case is being heard in the Court of Session. The action is being brought against Ford Motor Company, Ford Motor Company Limited, Fordwerke Gmbh, Ford Motor Company of Australia Pty Limited, Ford Retail Limited, FCE Bank Plc, and ALD Automotive Limited. Anyone who has not previously made a claim in the group proceedings but wishes to do so is invited to contact Thompsons Solicitors. The firm can be reached by email at mbemissions@ or by post at Patrick McGuire, Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, 70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, G2 6UA.
Scotsman
09-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Why data breach victims deserve compensation
Amy Haughton is a Partner, Thompsons Solicitors Human error is often a key factor in cyber attacks, writes Amy Haughton Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ask a lawyer about the data breach cases landing on their desk and the majority will share a common theme. The breaches are rarely deliberate or malicious, at least on the part of the data controller, but that is largely irrelevant to determining liability in a compensation case. Data protection laws are nothing new and seven years after the GDPR took effect in the UK, it is implausible that anyone processing customer information would fail to understand their basic obligation to keep personal data secure. Yet rarely a day goes by without the reporting of some kind of breach, from mis-typed email addresses and documents left on trains, to – as has been especially prominent in recent weeks – cyber attacks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Addias are recent targets of what are often framed as highly sophisticated cyber attacks. This type of crime has emerged as an unfortunate feature of a digital society, but are the consequences for consumers inevitable? It remains the case that the majority of cyber attacks, while perpetrated by a third party, involve some element of human error on the part of those responsible for the data. Soon after the attack on Marks & Spencer, it was confirmed that the hackers used social-engineering techniques, relying on human error to gain access to their systems. There is no doubt that organisations targeted by cyber attacks are victims of crime but this does not detract from their responsibilities in terms of data protection. In the UK, a failure to comply with data security obligations can result in regulatory action or a civil compensation claim. The ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) is the regulatory body with the power to investigate data breaches and take action, including the imposition of significant fines. Generally, enforcement action will only follow a high degree of fault or a failure to take responsibilities seriously – it is a penalty and a deterrent to failing to comply. Separately, an individual who has suffered harm, whether financial loss or distress, because of an infringement of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is entitled to compensation. The initial focus is on the infringement, which will often be self-evident, and on how this has affected the individual. The payment of compensation is not intended to punish the organisation and correlates to the harm experienced by the data subject rather than the severity of the failings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad To avoid liability, an organisation must demonstrate that they were not in any way responsible for the event causing harm. This concept will undoubtedly be explored further in time, but it is difficult to see how the defence could apply in situations where a cyber attack only succeeds because of an error made by an organisation or its employees. While the consequences to an organisation may appear harsh, the compensation right reflects the concern which underlies a stringent data protection framework. Without adequate data security, the potential for harm through misuse of data and identity theft is very real. To engage in all areas of life, we trust multiple organisations with our information. Cyber attacks may be inevitable, but it should not be accepted that a breach of personal data will always follow. When an organisation fails, however unintentional their action or inaction may be, it is the individual who is put at risk and requires the law to provide a meaningful remedy.
