For all the concern expressed about companies' exposure to lawsuits in the wake of data breaches, a decision earlier this week by a federal appeals court shows yet again <A HREF="http://www.cio.com/article/133250/Are_Data_Breach_Lawsuits_Just_Tilting_at_Windmills_">what a challenge it can be for consumers to actually win redress</A> when one occurs.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Thursday rejected a proposed class-action lawsuit against Evansville, Ind.-based Old National Bancorp over a 2005 data-breach incident.

In dismissing the proposed suit, the judges argued that damages were unavailable to the plaintiffs in this case because they had failed to show how they had been monetarily affected by the breach at the bank.