The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleges Coupang breached its duty to protect personal data and failed to implement adequate security measures. The data leak affected about 33.7 million customer accounts.
Two Korean Americans surnamed Lee and Park serve as lead plaintiffs, represented by SJKP Law Firm LLP, a U.S. subsidiary of South Korea's Daeryun Law Firm.
More than 7,000 data breach victims have contacted the law firm regarding the class action suit, an SJKP lawyer said. The lawsuit proceeds separately from litigation filed against Coupang in South Korean and California courts.
In their complaint, the plaintiffs claim Coupang violated personal data protection obligations and breached implied contracts with customers. They argue the company profited unfairly by failing to implement proper security safeguards.
The U.S. punitive damages system allows for substantial compensation awards against companies found to have committed gross negligence. T-Mobile paid $350 million in 2021 to settle a class action after personal data from more than 76.6 million users was exposed, setting a precedent for such cases.
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