On April 27, 2015, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Spokeo Inc. v. Robins, a case which could have wide-ranging implications for lawsuits, including class actions, against businesses under a number of consumer protection statutes.

In a case that the Supreme Court will hear and decide in its next term, the Court will

In Mattiaccio v. DHA Group, Inc., the plaintiff asserted three counts against his employer and its management under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  The defendants attempted to defeat the plaintiff’s claim by arguing the background check at issue was not a “consumer report” and, therefore, did not trigger the protections of the FCRA.  Instead,

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe added Virginia to the growing list of states “banning the box” regarding criminal history on state employment applications.  Given the growing list of state and even local legislation regarding applicants’ criminal histories, employers must be vigilant to ensure their employment processes comply with these multiple layers of restrictions.

On April 3,

On March 26, the Federal Trade Commission conducted a media call regarding the completion of “Operation Ruse Control,” a joint effort targeting deceptive auto dealer practices involving approximately 252 enforcement actions executed by the FTC and approximately 30 other government agencies.  During the media call, two individuals –  Jessica Rich, Director of the

In Lary v. Trinity Physician Fin. & Ins. Servs., et al., Case No. 14-11036, the Eleventh Circuit narrowly interpreted the “willfully or knowingly” provision of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), which gives rise to treble damages.  In Lary, the plaintiff filed a pro se complaint alleging that the defendants sent a fax

Last week, the Office of the Solicitor General urged the U.S. Supreme Court via amicus brief to deny Spokeo Inc.’s appeal of a Ninth Circuit decision that revived a Virginia man’s proposed class action accusing the “people search engine” of publishing false information about him.

The Solicitor General said Spokeo’s petition for a writ of

On March 11, 2015, a district court in the Eastern District of Virginia denied an employer’s motion for summary judgment in a Fair Credit Reporting Act case dealing with the inclusion of release language in a background check disclosure.  Employers should review this decision carefully as the case law on this issue develops further.

In

On February 17, the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Telephone Science Corp. v. Trading Advantage LLC, et al. denied a motion to dismiss and a motion to compel discovery in an action alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.  The interesting thing about the orders were not the denials themselves

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently issued its Winter 2015 Supervisory Highlights report which provides an overview of the supervision work completed by the CFPB from July through December 2014.  Matters resolved by the CFPB’s Supervision side are non-public in nature and are resolved, not generally through the payment of large fines and penalties, but

On March 2, the plaintiff’s counsel in Brown v. Delhaize America, LLC submitted an unopposed motion for preliminary approval, seeking Court approval of another Fair Credit Reporting Act class action settlement.  Employers should treat this settlement as another reminder to verify their compliance with the FCRA.

According to the parties’ settlement paperwork, the Brown