The bankruptcy estate of hacked therapy centre Vastaamo has proposed capping victim compensation at 2,500 euros. Thousands of people have sought damages from the bankruptcy estate.
The estate proposed the 2,500-euro payment in a statement it sent out to creditors. At this point, the sum is a merely a suggestion and there is no certainty that victims will receive this amount.
"This estimate is not the estate manager's final position," Vastaamo estate manager Nina Aganimov told Yle.
Tomi Voutilainen, a public law professor at the University of Eastern Finland, said victims should accept the 2,500-euro compensation, should it become a reality.
"In court this sum could shrink, or there may be no compensation awarded at all," he said.
Thousands of people have sought compensation from the bankruptcy estate, and police have received some 25,000 criminal reports in connection with the hacking of Vastaamo's patient database.
Vastaamo went into liquidation earlier this year, following a hacking and blackmail scandal. In its bankruptcy filing in February, the company listed assets of some 2.2 million euros but debts of nearly six million euros.
Victims can seek damages for emotional suffering or financial loss stemming from the misuse of personal information.
Victims' claims range from 1,000-10,000 euros, according to Joni Siikavirta, whose law firm Potilasvahinkoapu ("patient injury aid") is representing a group of Vastaamo victims.
"I think the estate manager's suggested compensation is realistic," Siikavirta said.
If the bankruptcy estate and victims are unable to agree on compensation, the case will progress to the courts.
Bankruptcy estates in Finland typically pay creditors in descending order. Helsingin Sanomat previously reported that Vastaamo's debts to the OP Financial Group alone exceeded the company's funds.
Vastaamo has sold its remaining business to Verve, a provider of occupational welfare services.