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John is a first-chair litigator with a distinguished defense record in class action matters and other high-stakes litigation. He is sought after for his trial-to-verdict experience in state and federal courts throughout the U.S., effective strategies, and practical advice.

On May 10, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released new guidelines for employment background screening companies for compliance with certain consumer reporting agency requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FTC’s guidelines are yet another indication that FCRA compliance is a top federal regulatory priority

I.    General Application of the FCRA

The

In Jones v. Sterling Infosystems, 1:14cv3076 (S.D.N.Y. 2016), the district court recently denied class certification against a background screening company that was alleged to have violated 15 U.S.C. § 1681k(a) by not sending out the notice envisioned under § 1681k(a)(1) at the time that criminal record information was transmitted to employers. 

The court denied

The New York City Human Rights Law (the “NYCHRL”) prohibits discrimination in employment, public accommodations, and housing.  It also prohibits discriminatory harassment and bias-based profiling by law enforcement.  The NYCHRL, pursuant to the 2005 Civil Rights Restoration Act, must be construed “independently from similar or identical provisions of New York state or federal statutes” such

Judge Beth Labson Freeman for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California recently joined numerous other courts across the country in staying a putative FCRA class action pending the outcome of the Supreme Court’s decision in Spokeo Inc. v. Robins.

The underlying action in the California court challenged the defendant’s

On February 29, the Supreme Court denied certiorari review in Mullins v. Direct Digital, LLC, No. 15-1776.  The Mullins decision, which arose out of the Seventh Circuit, created a circuit split with the Eleventh and Third circuits with respect to the implicit “ascertainability” requirement that those two circuits had found precluded class certification. 

We are pleased to announce that Troutman Sanders partners John Lynch and Ashley Taylor will be featured speakers at this year’s Consero Financial Services & Insurance Litigation Forum on April 17-19 at The Biltmore MiamiCoral Gables.

Consero’s 2016 Financial Services & Insurance Litigation Forum will address current and looming legal and business challenges

In a recent published opinion, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected a borrower’s claims for breach of contract, negligence, wrongful foreclosure, and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“DTPA”).  The plaintiff was awarded legal possession of the property as part of a divorce proceeding.  At origination, the

On February 18, the California Supreme Court issued a potentially far-reaching decision in Yvanova v. New Century Mortgage Corp., in which it ruled that certain mortgage borrowers have standing to sue for wrongful foreclosure based on a void assignment of the promissory note or deed of trust.  Although the Court limited the scope of

Last week, through the issuance of an executive order, the City of Birmingham became the first city in Alabama to “ban the box” on its hiring applications.  The prohibition applies to municipal positions within the city, and it prevents an inquiry into an applicant’s criminal history at the application stage.  The executive

As part of the Federal Trade Commission’s systematic review of all current FTC rules and guides, the agency recently announced a modified 10-year regulatory review schedule.  To ensure that its rules and industry guides stay relevant and are not overly burdensome, the FTC reviews them at 10-year intervals.  The review schedule is published each