Hackers reportedly from North Korea broke into the company's database and went public with private emails, celebrity addresses and salary details as part of a protest about Sony's irreverent comedy The Interview, in which James Franco and Seth Rogen played news men tasked with killing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

Several former Sony employees claimed executives failed to maintain adequate security measures in advance of the breach, and now U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner has given them permission to sue Sony Pictures, ruling that plaintiff Michael Corona and others have done enough to move the dispute forward.

The claim suggests personal employee information such as social security numbers and medical records were exposed during the hacking drama. Lawyers for Sony responded by insisting the plaintiffs suffered no physical harm or other specific injuries.