Supreme Court denial of CareFirst case benefits plaintiffs' broad claims of data-breach harm

The Supreme Court's rejection of a request by healthcare giant CareFirst to review a high-profile data breach case is likely good news for plaintiffs in arguing the threat of identity theft is sufficient for filing class-action lawsuits against companies that suffer a breach.

The high court's denial on Feb. 20 sends the case back to the lower courts where the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled last year in favor of plaintiffs. That circuit ruling...