Sony Pictures To Settle With Former Employees Over Data Hack Linked To 'The Interview'

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. has agreed to settle claims by former employees whose personal information was stolen in a cyberattack targeting the company last year, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing federal court documents.

The data breach is suspected to have been carried out by North Korean hackers in retaliation to a Sony production, “The Interview,” a comedy movie based on a fictional plot to assassinate the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.

Documents filed Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles did not reveal terms of the settlement, Bloomberg reported. In June, Sony lost its case to dismiss allegations that it had been negligent in not adequately securing its computer systems. However, the Central District of California court denied the former employees' claim that they had also suffered losses because Sony delayed informing them of the data breach.

In addition to the personal information of employees -- including salaries and health data -- the hack exposed Hollywood industry secrets and emails with racial slurs, Bloomberg reported.

After the breach, Sony Pictures, the entertainment arm of Japan’s Sony Corp., canceled the movie's release before going ahead with it.

Nine former employees were part of the lawsuit and they have until Oct. 19 to file documents seeking a preliminary approval of the proposed settlement, Reuters reported Thursday. The case is 14-CV-09600 MICHAEL CORONA, et al v. SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT, INC.