On November 17, car rental company Avis filed its memorandum in support of final approval of a $2.7 million class action settlement to resolve Fair Credit Reporting Act claims related to its background screening practices. The case is Angela Fuller v. Avis Budget Car Rental LLC, et al., No. 2:15-cv-03856, pending in the U.S.
H. Scott Kelly
Scott is a consumer data and privacy specialist. He regularly defends against data breach lawsuits and class action claims asserted under federal and state consumer-protection statutes (FCRA, FDCPA, TCPA, UCC, UDAAP, RICO). Scott represents companies on an array of data privacy issues, including background screening, consumer reporting, data breaches, ransomware attacks, and related regulatory investigations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and state attorneys general.
CA Federal Court Denies TransUnion’s Post-Trial Motions in $60M Ramirez Case
On November 6, in Sergio L. Ramirez v. TransUnion LLC, Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Corley of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California denied TransUnion’s post-trial motion for judgment as a matter of law, for a new trial, and to reduce the $60 million verdict previously entered by the jury. Ramirez…
Arizona Governor Signs Executive Order Banning the Box
On November 6, Arizona governor Doug Ducey signed an executive order making Arizona the most recent state to adopt a “ban the box” law. The state joins Pima County and Tucson – Arizona localities that have already joined the “ban the box” movement.
Under the new policy, state agencies will delay questions related to an…
FCRA Suits Increase 60% from August to September
According to a litigation statistics report issued by WebRecon LLC, consumer lawsuits alleging violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act increased by nearly 60% in September from the prior month. That increase “keeps it in line with the aggressive growth in recent years.”
FCRA filings increased 58.4% from 351 in August to 556 in September…
NYDFS Directed to Regulate Consumer Reporting Agencies
On September 18, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a press release directing the New York Department of Financial Services to impose new rules on consumer reporting agencies (“CRAs”). The new regulation would require CRAs to register with New York for the first time and comply with the state’s cybersecurity standard. The standard – which…
Lawmakers in U.S. House of Representatives Considering Bill That Would Reform Class Action Litigation under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23
On February 9, 2017, Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte (R.-Va.), introduced H.R. 985, the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017 (“the Act”). The Act aims to “amend the procedures used in federal court class actions and multidistrict litigation proceedings to assure fairer, more efficient outcomes for claimants and defendants.” Rep. Goodlatte issued a…
Florida Federal Court Denies Motion to Dismiss FACTA Class Action Under Spokeo
On August 29, a Florida federal court rejected a motion to dismiss filed by Doctor’s Associates, Inc., doing business as Subway, which relied on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Spokeo v. Robins in a Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (“FACTA”) putative class action. Plaintiff Shane Flaum claimed that Subway violated FACTA by …
U.S. Supreme Court Remands Spokeo in Ruling that Mere Technical, Statutory Violation Is Insufficient to Confer Article III Standing
On May 16, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its much-anticipated decision in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins. Spokeo considered whether Congress may confer Article III standing by authorizing a private right of action based on the violation of a federal statute alone, despite a plaintiff having suffered no “real world” harm.…
FTC Settles Enforcement Action Against Bitcoin Mining Operation
On February 18, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had settled charges against Butterfly Labs and two of its operators stemming from the alleged deception of consumers regarding new mining machines for the virtual currency, Bitcoin. According to the FTC, the company and its corporate officers charged consumers thousands of dollars for its Bitcoin…
Defense Win on Class Certification in FDCPA Case
Troutman Sanders would like to share the attached favorable decision from the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of its client, Portfolio Recovery Associates (“PRA”). The district court recently denied plaintiff’s motion for class certification in a case alleging that PRA violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by sending debt …