In Fosbrink v. Area Wide Protective, Inc., William Fosbrink sued defendant Area Wide Protective in a class action complaint for allegedly violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s provisions regarding employment background checks. According to Fosbrink, Area Wide violated the FCRA in three ways: (1) it failed to provide him with a stand-alone disclosure informing
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Plaintiff’s Counsel Ordered to Pay Defendant’s Fees and Costs in Bad Faith FDCPA Action
On September 20, a United States District judge for the Northern District of California granted defendant United Recovery System’s motion for attorneys’ fees and costs arising from its successful defense of a lawsuit based on alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the California Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, also known as…
Starbucks Hit with FCRA Class Action
Starbucks Corp. has been sued in a proposed class action in the Northern District of Georgia for alleged violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act with its employment application process. Plaintiff Kevin Wills claims Starbucks rejected job applicants based on consumer reports without first providing a copy of the reports to the applicants and notifying…
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…
FTC Issues Guidance on the Revised Used Car Rule
In November 2016, the Federal Trade Commission announced its final changes to the Used Car Rule, formally referred to as the Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule, which requires motor vehicle dealers to display a winder sticker, known as the “Buyers Guide,” on used vehicles offered for sale. Due to numerous questions raised by…
Massachusetts AG Announces Data Breach Bill
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced updated legislation that will remove fees for security freezes and consumer credit reports. The new legislation (SB 130/HB 134) includes several pro-consumer changes:
- Consent – Any company seeking to obtain or use a consumer’s credit report or credit score will need the written consent of the consumer and must
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Join Us at the 2017 ISSA International Conference in San Diego
We are pleased to announce that Troutman Sanders partner Ron Raether will be a featured speaker at the upcoming 2017 ISSA International Conference taking place on October 9-11, 2017 at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina in San Diego, California.
Ron will speak on “Governing without Clear Standards: Lessons from the Trenches,” on October 11, 2017, …
Join Us at the 8th Annual ABA Consumer Financial Services Institute
We are pleased to announce that Troutman Sanders partner Ron Raether will be a featured speaker at the upcoming American Bar Association Consumer Financial Services Institute taking place October 19-20, 2017 at the Waterview Conference Center in Arlington, Virginia.
Ron will co-panel a discussion entitled, “Financial Privacy, Data Security and Cybersecurity,” on Thursday, October 19, …
West Virginia Federal Court Preliminarily Approves Nearly $30M TCPA Class Action Settlement
In re Monitronics International, Inc., pending in the Northern District of West Virginia, is a consolidated class action lawsuit brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. After years of contentious litigation, this past week the Court preliminarily approved a class action settlement of $28 million. This significant settlement serves as another example of the high…
FTC Says Its Focus Must Be on Instances of Real Harm to Consumers
In a September 19 speech at the Federal Communications Bar Association in Washington, FTC Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen stated that the Commission should focus on addressing instances of “substantial consumer injury” in deciding which cases to pursue. Echoing (intentionally or not) the language of the Supreme Court’s foundational decision in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins…