Home Depot faces 44 breach-related suits

Atlanta - The Home Depot Inc. faces at least 44 lawsuits connected with a data breach that affected the retailer from April-September 2014.



In a regulatory filing, the retailer said state and federal agencies are investigating the breach and more legal action is possible. The Home Depot also said ongoing breach-related investigation and litigation could affect operations and distract management, as well as incur additional unspecified costs and fines.



The retailer estimates total costs related to the breach, which exposed data for 56 million customer payment cards and 53 million customer email addresses, at about $62 million so far. Home Depot has a $100 million insurance policy to cover breach-related expenses, with a $7.5 million deductible.



The company has completed a security upgrade in U.S. stores and expects to upgrade Canadian store security by early 2015.