Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC

Aiken New Tech High School Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Investigation

2026-10-08T20:01:32Z

Was your child harmed by an assistant principal at Aiken High School? Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC is investigating potential civil claims on behalf of students and families who may have been harmed by alleged sexual misconduct involving an assistant principal at Aiken New Tech High School, a Cincinnati Public School High School located in the Cincinnati suburb of College Hill. Publicly available reporting indicates that Aiken assistant principal Steven Barton has been charged with multiple counts of sexual battery and grooming involving students at the school.¹ If your child attended Aiken and was subjected to inappropriate contact, communications, or attention from a school administrator, your family may be entitled to compensation and other legal remedies. All inquiries are handled with strict confidentiality.

What Happened?

According to a Cincinnati police criminal complaint, Barton, 43, allegedly engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with a 16-year-old student at the school in late August 2026. Investigators stated that the allegation was based on the student’s detailed statement and was corroborated by school surveillance video and Barton’s own statements. Because Barton is a school administrator and the student was enrolled at the school, the charge was elevated to felony sexual battery under Ohio law. Police released Barton’s booking photo because investigators believed there could be additional victims.² A Cincinnati police detective reportedly told the court that investigators believe Barton groomed the student during the 2025-26 school year before the alleged contact. Barton was subsequently indicted on five counts of sexual battery and one count of grooming involving that student.³ In October 2026, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office announced additional charges in a separate case involving four more students, including six counts of sexual battery and two counts of grooming. Two of those students were reportedly 15 and two were 17 at the time of the alleged conduct.⁴ Prosecutors allege that Barton used his position to have inappropriate physical contact with students, in some instances allegedly checking school records to locate students and removing them from class to private locations. Prosecutors also allege that he took some students shopping, drove them to and from school, and sent them money through Cash App.⁵ Cincinnati Public Schools has stated that Barton was removed from duty and will have no contact with students while the criminal and district investigations proceed.⁶ Barton has pleaded not guilty to the initial charge, and the criminal charges are allegations that have not been proven in court.

Did the School Receive Earlier Warnings?

One of the central questions in any school abuse case is what school officials knew and when. The mother of another Aiken student reportedly told a local news outlet that Barton called her son into a private office in January 2026, despite not being assigned to him, and touched him inappropriately. She says she reported the incident to another assistant principal at the time and asked that it be handled immediately.⁷ It is not yet clear what action, if any, was taken in response, or whether that allegation is connected to the pending charges. Schools have legal obligations to protect students, to respond to reports of sexual misconduct, and to supervise the adults they place in positions of authority over children. Our investigation is focused on whether those obligations were met.

Who May Have a Claim?

Current or former Aiken New Tech High School students who experienced inappropriate touching, contact, or sexual conduct by a school administrator
Students who were removed from class, isolated in offices or other private locations, given gifts or money, or offered rides by a school administrator
Families who reported concerns to school staff about an administrator’s conduct with students
Parents and guardians whose children have suffered emotional distress, academic disruption, or other harm as a result

Potential Legal Claims and Compensation

Civil claims are separate from the criminal case and are brought on behalf of the student and family, not the State. Depending on the facts, potential claims may include claims under Title IX, which requires schools receiving federal funds to respond appropriately to known sexual harassment and abuse; federal civil rights claims; and state-law claims for negligent hiring, supervision, and retention.

What Families Can Do Now

Your child’s safety and well-being come first. If your child has disclosed abuse or you have concerns, consider connecting your child with a counselor or medical provider experienced in working with young people.

If you have information related to the investigation, contact the Cincinnati Police Department.
Preserve text messages, social media messages, Cash App or other payment records, emails, and any communications with the school.
Write down what your child has shared, along with dates, locations, and the names of any staff members you contacted.
Consider speaking with an attorney before giving recorded statements to the school district

You do not need to wait for the criminal case to end to understand your rights. Deadlines for civil claims, particularly claims involving public school districts, can be strict, so early legal review can help protect your family’s options.

Contact Us About Your Legal Rights

If you would like a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your family’s rights related to the Aiken New Tech High School abuse allegations, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Justin C. Walker. You can reach us through any of the following:

Call us at (513) 651-3700
Email us at msd@msdlegal.com
Submit a Case Evaluation request through the form on our website

¹https://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/assistant-principal-at-aiken-new-tech-high-school-charged-with-sexual-battery-of-student-documents-reveal ²Id. ³https://local12.com/news/local/aiken-high-school-assistant-principal-steven-barton-sexual-battery-grooming-charges-cincinnati ⁴ https://fox19.com/2026/10/08/cincinnati-assistant-principal-faces-more-sexual-battery-charges-involving-more-4-students ⁵Id. ⁶Supra note 1. ⁷Supra note 3.

World Acceptance Corporation Data Breach Class Action Investigation

2026-10-06T14:27:27Z

Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, a law firm experienced in data breach class action litigation, is investigating claims on behalf of victims of a data breach involving data entrusted to World Acceptance Corporation. World Acceptance Corporation is headquartered in Greenville, SC. If you received a notice of data breach letter from World Acceptance Corporation, please contact us as soon as possible so we can explain your legal rights in response to the data breach. What Happened? Recently, World Acceptance Corporation reported that it suffered a data breach. World Acceptance Corporation learned that on or around August 24, 2026, an unauthorized party accessed and copied certain information from its network.¹ In total, the data of 51,000 victims was compromised in the Drive Wealth data breach.² What Data was Compromised in World Acceptance Corporation Data Breach? World Acceptance Corporation data breach may have involved sensitive confidential information, including:

Full Name
Social Security Number
Driver’s License Information

What Should I do if I Receive Notification of the Data Breach from World Acceptance Corporation? If you would like to have a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to World Acceptance Corporation data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Terry Coates at (513) 651-3700, email us at msd@msdlegal.com, or submit a Case Evaluation request through the form below. ¹ https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/world-finance-corporation-2026 ²Id.

DriveWealth Data Breach Class Action Investigation

2026-10-06T14:24:09Z

Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, a law firm experienced in data breach class action litigation, is investigating claims on behalf of victims of a data breach involving data entrusted to DriveWealth. DriveWealth is headquartered in New York, NY. If you received a notice of data breach letter from DriveWealth, please contact us as soon as possible so we can explain your legal rights in response to the data breach. What Happened? Recently, DriveWealth reported that it suffered a data breach. DriveWealth learned that between September 4, 2026, and September 5, 2026, an unauthorized party accessed and copied certain information from its network.¹ In total, the data of 2.5 million victims was compromised in the Drive Wealth data breach.² What Data was Compromised in DriveWealth Data Breach? DriveWealth data breach may have involved sensitive confidential information, including:

Full Name
Social Security Number
Financial Account Information

What Should I do if I Receive Notification of the Data Breach from DriveWealth? If you would like to have a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to DriveWealth data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Terry Coates at (513) 651-3700, email us at msd@msdlegal.com, or submit a Case Evaluation request through the form below. ¹ https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/drivewealth-2026 ^{2 Id.}

Casper Orthopedics Data Breach Class Action Investigation

2026-10-01T16:31:30Z

Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, a law firm experienced in data breach class action litigation, is investigating claims on behalf of victims of a data breach involving data entrusted to Casper Orthopedics. Casper Orthopedics is headquartered in Casper, WY. If you received a notice of data breach letter from Casper Orthopedics, please contact us as soon as possible so we can explain your legal rights in response to the data breach. What Happened? Recently, Casper Orthopedics reported that it suffered a data breach. Casper Orthopedics learned on or around May 23, 2026, that an unauthorized party accessed and copied certain information from its network.¹ What Data was Compromised in Casper Orthopedics Data Breach? Casper Orthopedics disclosed the data breach involved sensitive confidential information, including:

Full Name
Date of Birth
Social Security Number
Driver’s License Numbers
Financial Account Information
Medical Information

What Should I do if I Receive Notification of the Data Breach from Casper Orthopedics? If you would like to have a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to Casper Orthopedics data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Terry Coates at (513) 651-3700, email us at msd@msdlegal.com, or submit a Case Evaluation request through the form below. ¹ https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/casper-orthopedic-associates-2026

OneMain Financial Data Breach Class Action Investigation

2026-09-30T15:00:05Z

Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, a law firm experienced in data breach class action litigation, is investigating claims on behalf of victims of a data breach involving data entrusted to OneMain Financial. OneMain Financial is headquartered in Evansville, IN. If you received a notice of data breach letter from OneMain Financial, please contact us as soon as possible so we can explain your legal rights in response to the data breach. What Happened? Recently, OneMain Financial reported that it suffered a data breach. OneMain Financial learned that on or around May 5, 2026, an unauthorized party accessed and copied certain information from its network.¹ What Data was Compromised in OneMain Financial Data Breach? OneMain Financial data breach may have involved sensitive confidential information, including:

Full Name
Address
Social Security Number

What Should I do if I Receive Notification of the Data Breach from OneMain Financial? If you would like to have a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to OneMain Financial data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Terry Coates at (513) 651-3700, email us at msd@msdlegal.com, or submit a Case Evaluation request through the form below. ¹ https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/onemain-financial-2026

Brown, Jake & McDaniel Data Breach Class Action Investigation

2026-09-09T15:03:12Z

Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, a law firm experienced in data breach class action litigation, is investigating claims on behalf of victims of a data breach involving data entrusted to Brown, Jake & McDaniel. Brown, Jake & McDaniel is headquartered in Knoxville, TN. If you received a notice of data breach letter from Brown, Jake & McDaniel, please contact us as soon as possible so we can explain your legal rights in response to the data breach. What Happened? Recently, Brown, Jake & McDaniel reported that it suffered a data breach. Brown, Jake & McDaniel learned that between January 13, 2026, and January 21, 2026, an unauthorized party accessed and copied certain information from its network.¹ What Data was Compromised in Brown, Jake & McDaniel Data Breach? Brown, Jake & McDaniel disclosed the data breach involves sensitive confidential information, including:

Full Name
Social Security Number
Driver’s License Numbers

What Should I do if I Receive Notification of the Data Breach from Brown, Jake & McDaniel? If you would like to have a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to Brown, Jake & McDaniel data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Terry Coates at (513) 651-3700, email us at msd@msdlegal.com, or submit a Case Evaluation request through the form below. ¹ https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/brown-jake-mcdaniel-2026

LHC Group Data Breach Class Action Investigation

2026-09-09T14:54:21Z

Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, a law firm experienced in data breach class action litigation, is investigating claims on behalf of victims of a data breach involving data entrusted to LHC Group. LHC Group is headquartered in Lafayette, LA. If you received a notice of data breach letter from LHC Group, please contact us as soon as possible so we can explain your legal rights in response to the data breach. What Happened? Recently, LHC Group reported that it suffered a data breach. LHC Group learned that between April 7, 2026, and April 15, 2026, an unauthorized party accessed and copied certain information from its network.¹ What Data was Compromised in LHC Group Data Breach? LHC Group disclosed the data breach involves sensitive confidential information, including:

Full Name
Date of Birth
Address
Social Security Number
Medical Information
Health Insurance Information

What Should I do if I Receive Notification of the Data Breach from LHC Group? If you would like to have a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to LHC Group data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Terry Coates at (513) 651-3700, email us at msd@msdlegal.com, or submit a Case Evaluation request through the form below. ¹ https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/lhc-group-2026

IDScan.net Data Breach Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

2026-09-03T13:05:01Z

Was Your Identification Document Exposed in the IDScan.net Data Breach? Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC is investigating potential claims on behalf of individuals whose driver's license or other identification document information may have been compromised in a data breach involving IDScan.net. IDScan.net is investigating a potential security incident that may have resulted in unauthorized access to identification document images processed through its identity verification systems.¹ If you rented a vehicle, visited a cannabis dispensary, or otherwise had your driver's license or other identification document scanned or verified through IDScan.net's systems, you may be entitled to compensation and other legal remedies. What Happened? IDScan.net is a Louisiana-based identity verification company that provides identity document scanning and authentication services to businesses in the rental car, hospitality, retail, gaming, and cannabis dispensary industries, among others. Publicly available reporting indicates that a dark web marketplace obtained a large volume of driver's license and other identification document images that may be linked to IDScan.net's systems. Publicly available reporting indicates that IDScan.net notified at least some of its business customers of the incident beginning on or about September 1, 2026.² The total number of individuals affected nationwide is not yet known. The operator of the marketplace, which advertised itself under the name "Nexus," claimed to be offering more than 153 million driver's license records for people in the United States and Canada, along with more than 10 million identification cards, more than 3 million travel documents or international identification records, and at least 579,000 medical cards.³ These figures reflect claims made by the operator of an illicit marketplace and have not been independently confirmed by IDScan.net or any government agency. What Information Was Involved? According to public reporting, the IDScan.net data breach may have involved the following types of information:

Driver's license images, including front and back scans
State identification card images
Passport and international travel document images
Infrared and ultraviolet authentication scan images
Medical and dispensary identification card images⁴

Because the incident may have involved sensitive identification document images, affected individuals may face an increased risk of identity theft, fraudulent account openings, and other misuse of their personal information. Who Is Affected? Individuals whose driver's license, state identification card, passport, or other identification document was scanned or verified by a business using IDScan.net's identity verification systems may have had sensitive personal information exposed. This may include individuals that have presented their ID to companies including car rental company Hertz, retailer Target, shipping company FedEx, Motorola Solutions, financial services company Jack Henry, and gaming and hospitality company Caesars Entertainment.⁵ IDScan.net has also stated that its technology is used by more than 1,000 cannabis dispensaries nationwide, including Planet 13 locations. If your identification document was scanned at a Hertz location, Planet 13 dispensary, or another business using IDScan.net technology, we would like to speak with you about when and where your identification was scanned and whether your information may have been affected. Contact Us About Your Legal Rights If you would like a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to the IDScan.net data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Justin C. Walker. You can reach us through any of the following:

Call us at (513) 651-3700
Email us at msd@msdlegal.com
Submit a Case Evaluation request through the form on our website

¹https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/09/fbi-probes-service-selling-153m-drivers-licenses/ ²Id. ³Id. ⁴Id. ⁵Id.

Bennett College Data Breach Class Action Investigation

2026-09-02T17:55:03Z

Bennett College is headquartered in Greensboro, NC. If you received a notice of data breach letter from Bennett College, please contact us as soon as possible so we can explain your legal rights in response to the data breach.

What Happened?

Recently, Bennett College reported that it suffered a data breach. Bennett College learned that on or around October 27, 2025, to November 15, 2025, an unauthorized party accessed and copied certain information from its network.¹

What Data was Compromised in Bennett College Data Breach?

Bennett College disclosed the data breach involves sensitive confidential information, including:

Full Name
Date of Birth
Social Security Number
Driver’s License Number
Financial Account Information
Medical Information
Health Insurance Information

What Should I do if I Receive Notification of the Data Breach from Bennett College?

If you would like to have a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to Bennett College data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Terry Coates at (513) 651-3700, email us at msd@msdlegal.com, or submit a Case Evaluation request through the form below.

¹ https://www.bennett.edu/notice-of-data-event/

Turner Construction Data Breach Class Action Investigation

2026-08-21T16:56:15Z

Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, a law firm experienced in data breach class action litigation, is investigating claims on behalf of victims of a data breach involving data entrusted to Turner Construction. Turner Construction is headquartered in New York City, NY. If you received a notice of data breach letter from Turner Construction, please contact us as soon as possible so we can explain your legal rights in response to the data breach. What Happened? Recently, Turner Construction reported that it suffered a data breach. Turner Construction learned that between July 2 and July 15, 2026, an unauthorized party accessed and copied certain information from its network.¹ What Data was Compromised in Turner Construction Data Breach? Turner Construction disclosed the data breach involves sensitive confidential information, including:

Full Name
Date of Birth
Social Security Number
Financial Account Information

What Should I do if I Receive Notification of the Data Breach from Turner Construction? If you would like to have a free, confidential consultation with an attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal remedies related to Turner Construction data breach, please contact Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC attorney Terry Coates at (513) 651-3700, email us at msd@msdlegal.com, or submit a Case Evaluation request through the form below. ¹ https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-628438