In re PowerSchool Holdings, Inc. and PowerSchool Group, LLC Customer Data Security Breach Litigation

Summary

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation orders the centralization of actions arising from the PowerSchool customer data security breach. The Panel transfers the actions listed on Schedule A to the Southern District of California and assigns them to Judge Roger T. Benitez for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings. The order identifies common factual and legal issues, including data-security practices, breach notification, negligence, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment.

Holdings

1. The actions listed on Schedule A involve common questions of fact and should be centralized for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings.
2. The Southern District of California is an appropriate transferee district for the centralized litigation.
3. Informal coordination was not shown to be the most efficient method for resolving the litigation, so it did not preclude centralization.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the related actions involve common questions of fact warranting centralization under 28 U.S.C. § 1407.
2. Whether centralization in the Southern District of California would serve the convenience of the parties and witnesses and promote the just and efficient conduct of the litigation.
3. Whether informal coordination was a more efficient alternative to multidistrict centralization.

Disposition

other