Keypoint: Claims brought under the Washington My Health My Data Act’s private right of action will turn on whether a plaintiff can prove actual damages that were caused by a violation effecting the plaintiff’s business or property.

Signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee on April 27, 2023, the Washington My Health My Data Act (MHMD) is a first-in-the-nation consumer health data privacy act with a private right of action.

We have been tracking the MHMD since it was first introduced in early January, provided a detailed analysis of the bill after it first passed the House in mid-March, and recently discussed its definition of “consumer health data” and private right of action. As we previously promised, in this post we take a deeper look at the private right of action with a particular focus on how Washington courts have handled CPA claims based on other conduct. We also provide two takeaways to help businesses better understand and evaluate their risk.