Eleventh Circuit Issues Favorable CFAA/SCA Ruling, Orders Former Employee Who Improperly Accessed Email Accounts To Pay $80,000 in Damages

In a favorable decision for employers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently upheld a lower court ruling under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and the Stored Communications Act (SCA) that awarded nearly $80,000 in damages to a company in its lawsuit against a former employee who improperly accessed hundreds of email accounts of other employees.

The decision by the appeals court in Brown Jordan International, Inc. v. Carmicle, No. 16-11350 (11th Cir. Jan. 25, 2017), affirms the award of nearly $40,000 in damages to reimburse the company for the costs of hiring a consultant and contractor to clean up the mess created by the defendant employee.  The court also awarded an equal amount in punitive damages, plus attorney’s fees and costs.

The Eleventh Circuit’s decision in Brown Jordan is available here.

Members of the Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC) can read more here.