ADT Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Peeping Technician
The technician was fired last year after ADT learned that he added his personal email address to customers’ accounts during service visits.
BOCA RATON, Fla. — ADT has been hit with a class action lawsuit over a former employee that was caught accessing the video feeds of hundreds of customers.
In April 2020, Telesforo Aviles was fired after ADT learned that he added his personal email address to customers’ accounts during service visits, which gave him varying levels of access to their systems through the company’s mobile app, including the video streams of security cameras. He pleaded guilty last month.
Randy Doty is filing a lawsuit against the home security company, “based on its intentional and negligent tortious acts in providing security services to its customers with remote-viewing capabilities” and Aviles, for “using those services to spy on Plaintiff and others who resided in homes with ADT security systems.”
The lawsuit targets ADT’s Pulse platform, stating, “ADT failed to provide the security services its customers paid for by leaving large vulnerabilities in the ADT Pulse application and, as a result, compromised the safety and security of its customers’ homes and family members.”
It also brings up the home security company’s marketing messages, saying “ADT bragged that it was leading the industry in establishing ‘best practices’ for the protection of consumer privacy, one of which was strict standards for access to data.”
The lawsuit says ADT is responsible for seven causes of action, including negligence; intrusion upon seclusion; negligent hiring, supervision and retention; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and privacy monitoring.
The plaintiff seeks class and sub-class certification and for the plaintiff and his counsel to represent the class and sub-class; declaratory and injunctive relief; an award for damages, costs, and fees; pre and post judgment interest; and other relief.
You can access the class action complaint, here.
SSI has reached out to ADT for comment and will update this story should one be provided.
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About the Author
Steve Karantzoulidis, Web/Senior Editor
Steven A. Karantzoulidis is the Web Editor for Security Sales & Integration. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Communication and has a background in Film, A/V and Social Media.
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