The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection recently implemented an “Identity Theft Prevention and Mitigation Program” and adopted emergency regulations, effective immediately. According to the Division, the program is intended to “(1) inform consumers about how to protect their personal identifying information; (2) help consumers prevent identity theft, including taking steps to
Spokane City Council Approves “Ban the Box” Law
On November 27, the City Council for Spokane, Washington made that city the newest locality to approve a “ban the box” ordinance, which would prohibit employers from requesting criminal or arrest records to make decisions on employment until after an in-person interview. The vote passed 5-2. The mayor of Spokane has until December 14, 2017
Supreme Court to Decide Whether American Pipe Tolling Permits Successive Class Actions
On December 8, the United States Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the tolling rule adopted in American Pipe & Construction Co. v. Utah – i.e., that the filing of a class action tolls the limitations period for a purported class member’s individual claims – permits a previously absent class member to bring a
Ohio Appellate Court Dismisses FCRA Class Claim for Lack of Article III Standing, Citing Spokeo
On December 5, a Court of Appeals for the state of Ohio affirmed dismissal of a putative FCRA class claim against Ohio State University on the basis that the plaintiffs lacked standing to assert their no-injury, statutory claim in Ohio state court. The state appellate court declined to adopt a “statutory standing” doctrine in Ohio
State Court Among First to Dismiss FCRA Claim for Lack of Injury-in-Fact
In Miles v. The Company Store, consumer Timothy Miles brought a claim in state court against retailer The Company Store for alleged violations of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Specifically, Miles claimed that The Company Store violated 15 U.S.C. § 1681c for printing too many digits of his credit card number on his
CFPB Solicits Comments on Access to Free Credit Scores
In recent years, many financial institutions and credit card companies have begun offering consumers free access to their credit score. On November 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a request for information in the Federal Register regarding consumers’ experiences “with access to free credit scores and the experience of companies, and nonprofits, offering their
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
Another Big-Dollar TCPA Settlement as Payment Processor Agrees to $9M Deal
A Texas-based payment processor agreed on November 1 to pay $9 million to settle a putative class action brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. According to the plaintiffs, Pivotal Payments, Inc. failed to ensure that a third party it hired to make
Alabama AG Shuts Down Credit Repair Services Company
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall recently filed a complaint against Scott’s Credit Repair and its owners, John C. Scott and Krystal Scott, in Montgomery, Alabama Circuit Court. The complaint alleged that “from beginning to end, the consumer experience with Scott’s Credit Repair is rooted in deception and illegality.” More specifically, the complaint alleged that the
District Court Skeptical of Consent to Obtain Consumer Report
The District Court for the District of Nevada recently addressed the reach of a consumer’s written authorization to obtain a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In Rodriguez v. Your First Choice, LLC, it implicitly limited a business’s ability to obtain a report based on “written authorization” to situations when a permissible