Stainless Foundry & Engineering is the subject of a newly filed class action lawsuit after the company fell victim to a cyberattack that led to its clients’ personal data being breached.
Stainless Foundry, located at 5110 N. 35
th St. in Milwaukee, provides casting and precision machining services. The company specializes in producing complex metal components from stainless steel, carbon steel, and other alloys, with engineering support tailored to industries such as aerospace, defense, and oil and gas.
In April, an “unauthorized actor" accessed the company’s network and computer system. Thousands of people had personal information exposed following the cyberattack, according to the lawsuit. This included personally identifiable information like Social Security numbers.
Milwaukee resident
William Schmidt filed the class action lawsuit this week in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, on behalf of himself and all other individuals affected by the cyberattack.
After learning about the cyberattack, Schmidt says he contacted outside cybersecurity professionals for advice. He alleges Stainless Foundry failed to put in place “reasonable safeguards” and that the company was not in compliance with industry-standard data security practices.
“(Stainless Foundry) not only failed to prevent the data breach, but after discovering the suspected data breach in April 2024, (the company) waited until on or around Aug. 8, 2024 to notify state,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit demands $5 million, along with restitution for the money impacted clients might have spent on preventative action following the data breach.
"In light of recent high-profile data breaches at other companies who regularly store personally identifiable information, (Stainless Foundry) knew or should have known that their electronic records would be targeted by cybercriminals," reads the lawsuit.
The company did offer impacted individuals 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring services, according to the complaint.
Schmidt says he has spent his own money to pre-emptively stop any further attacks from cyber criminals, but Stainless Foundry should instead be footing the bill. Annual subscriptions for credit monitoring plans can range from $219 to $358 per year.
"Due to (Stainless Foundry's) misconduct, Schmidt and (those affected) are entitled to indefinite credit monitoring at a minimum,” reads the complaint.
Stainless Foundry declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday.
