The “Inside Edition” story aired on September 24, 2020 featuring two Fears Nachawati pending class-action lawsuits filed against ADT, one of the largest security companies in the country, alleging that an employee spied on customers and children over a seven-year period through their home security cameras. Attorney Amy Carter and plaintiffs Shana and Randy Doty and Amy and Heath Johnson were interviewed about their experience and why they are pursuing a case.
In May, Fears and Nachawati filed two federal class-action lawsuits on behalf of hundreds of ADT Security Services (NYSE: ADT) clients whose privacy was breached by a company employee who had access to streaming video from customers’ security cameras. One lawsuit was filed on behalf of ADT customers, and the other on behalf of minors and others living inside the homes.
Lead plaintiff Shana Doty was alerted by ADT that the technician had used his access an unknown amount of times to spy on her, her husband, and their minor son “in their most private moments,” she claimed.
The other lead plaintiff was a teenage girl during the time that the breach occurred. ADT informed her family that the technician spied on them nearly 100 times, according to the lawsuit.
ADT failed to provide rudimentary safeguards to protect its customers’ privacy, allowing an employee to gain remote access to cameras inside and outside hundreds of customers’ homes, according to the lawsuits filed on May 18. A Dallas area technician reportedly added his personal email address to customer accounts during visits, enabling him to remotely watch security camera video streams for the past seven years.
“I am just horrified that a company that holds itself as the number one security option allowed this to happen,” attorney Amy Carter said. “They gave access to someone’s home when they were seeking additional security.”
ADT marketed the camera systems as a way for parents to check in on kids and pets with live streaming video yet failed to implement standard safeguards like dual authentication or text alerts when parties access the accounts. The breach was discovered when a customer noticed an unauthorized email among addresses that had permission to access the security system.
In addition to Fears Nachawati Law Firm, the plaintiffs are represented by Chicago-based Edelson PC and Dallas-based Carter Law Group.