Sony cleared in PSN hack class action lawsuit

Multiple charges against Sony from a class action lawsuit stemming from the PlayStation Network hack and breach of customers' personal information have been dismissed by a U.S. district judge. The charges were dropped, in part, because the plaintiffs did not pay for the PSN services and did not subscribe to premium PSN services.

Last year the PSN outage left millions of user accounts vulnerable to hackers. A class action lawsuit was filed against Sony for failing to protect those user accounts. But U.S. District Judge Anthony Battaglia dismissed charges of negligence, restitution, and unjust enrichment, according to Courthouse News (via CVG).

Sony was also cleared of violations of California consumer protections laws. A bailment charge was dismissed because the plaintiffs admitted personal information was stolen as a result of a criminal intrusion. The plaintiffs do not allege Sony was in any way involved with the data breach.

Users also signed a Sony Privacy Policy associated with their PSN account, which essentially recognizes that Sony's security was not perfect.

After Sony recognized user accounts were breached, the company offered an assortment of compensations. With this class action lawsuit now dismissed--although the class may amend its claim for injunctive relief--it seems yet another chapter in the PSN hacking issue is closed. Are you pleased with the results or do you think those impacted by the PSN hack should continue fighting? Leave us a comment below.