Ashley Madison hack: Longueuil man to act as lead plaintiff in Quebec lawsuit

A 49-year-old Longueuil bachelor has agreed to be named as a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the parent company of the adultery website Ashley Madison.

Serge Saumur is representing Quebecers whose information was exposed after the website was hacked in a class action suit brought by Ontario lawyers.

The lawyers said they'd received several inquiries from Quebecers, but none wanted the exposure that would come with a lawsuit.

Saumur said he doesn't mind showing his face and even giving his name.

"I didn't mind because I'm not married, I've got no children, and I wasn't there to meet someone married," he told CBC. "I was on that site to look for somebody single."

Saumur said he's already blocked credit cards that were linked to the site.

The class action, led by firms Charney Lawyers and Sutts, Strosberg LLP, is being brought against Avid Dating Life Inc. and Avid Life Media Inc., the corporations that run the infidelity website.

The firms already filed a claim in Ontario for plaintiffs in rest of Canada, seeking $760 million in damages.

Saumur will be the lead plaintiff for a class action in Montreal on behalf of all Quebec residents who subscribed to the site.

An estimated 250,000 Canadians are among the 3 million whose information was made available by the anonymous hackers.

Earlier this month, hackers released details of millions of email addresses, billing information and account details tied to the site.

The company faces numerous lawsuits in Canada and the U.S. because of the breach.

In a statement earlier this week, the company said it was "actively co-operating with international law enforcement in an effort to bring those responsible for the theft of proprietary member and business information to justice."