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In a welcome change for defendants, a recent amendment to the Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) is expected to significantly curtail potential damages under the statute. SB 2979, which passed the General Assembly on May 16, 2024, clarifies that damages are per individual, rather than per violation, for violations of the collection provision under Section 15(b) and the disclosure provision under Section 15(d). Continue Reading BIPA Bellwether: General Assembly provides relief from “per scan” damages

FingerprintIn the aftermath of two recent appellate court decisions addressing when claims under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA” or the “Act”) (740 ILCS 14/1 et seq.) accrue, it appears likely that the Illinois Supreme Court will need to provide clarity on this critical question. First, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, found in Watson v. Legacy Healthcare Financial Services, LLC, et al.  that claims under sections 15(a) and (b) of the Act accrue with each and every capture and use of a plaintiff’s biometric identifier or information. Second, in Cothron v. White Castle System, Inc. the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals declined to directly address the issue of when a claim under BIPA accrues, and instead has certified the question for review by the Illinois Supreme Court. While the holding in Watson provides some clarity as to when certain BIPA claims accrue, it leaves open critical questions regarding how to calculate: (i) the number of BIPA violations; and (ii) monetary damages under the Act.
Continue Reading Two Recent Developments Promise to Shed Light on Accrual of BIPA Claims

FingerprintWelcome to Vedder Price’s inaugural edition of the BIPA Bellwether.  As with our TCPA Turnstile, we intend for the BIPA Bellwether to serve as a periodic report on latest developments.

Last week, the Supreme Court of Illinois issued an order that likely will clarify when Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”), 740 ILCS 14 et seq., claims may be asserted in the employment context.  This order comes at a time when BIPA cases are surging and Illinois appellate court decisions interpreting the act are scarce.  As a result, the Court’s order—and the decision that will follow—signal a potential avenue for dismissal that may provide much needed guidance for BIPA litigants.
Continue Reading BIPA Bellwether: New Illinois Supreme Court Order Foreshadows Employment Guidance

In the past few weeks, five putative class action lawsuits have been filed under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”), 740 ILCS 14/1 et seq., targeting defendants in the health care, senior living, commercial baking, meat processing and security industries. These recent suits join previously filed BIPA class actions against day care operators, tanning salons, video game manufacturers, hotel groups and supermarkets as well as much larger entities, including Facebook, Google, Shutterfly, Six Flags and Snapchat. All of these suits have similar allegations at their core; that defendants utilized employees’, customers’, or other persons’ biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints, voiceprints, retina scans or facial recognition technology, in violation of BIPA’s disclosure and consent requirements. All seek recovery of BIPA’s statutory liquidated damages of $1,000 for each negligent violation, or $5,000 for each intentional or reckless violation, injunctive relief, and recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs.

BIPA Background

Until the past 18 months, when the first of these suits was filed, BIPA has been a little-known statute. Enacted in 2008, BIPA was passed to protect against risk of identity theft resulting from the growing use of biometric technology to facilitate financial transactions and security screenings. 740 ILCS 14/5.

BIPA applies to both biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints, voiceprints, retina scans, and facial geometry, and other biometric information based on those identifiers to the extent used to identify an individual. 740 ILCS 14/10. BIPA is an important measure because, unlike such things as Social Security numbers and passwords that can be changed if necessary, biometrics are biologically unique and, when compromised, leave an individual without recourse. 740 ILCS 14/5.
Continue Reading The Rise of Biometric Lawsuits in Illinois

In a well-reasoned and encouraging decision to Internet businesses, the Northern District of Illinois recently found that even operating one of the largest, most popular websites in the world is not enough to create personal jurisdiction everywhere the site can be accessed. See Gullen v. Facebook, Inc., Case No. 15-cv-07681 (Jan. 21, 2016…

In a decision subject to surprisingly little commentary by TCPA pundits, the Illinois Court of Appeals handed a significant victory to TCPA defense lawyers in November 2014 on the issue of “mooting” a putative class representative’s individual claim. See Ballard RN Ctr., Inc. v. Kohll’s Pharm. & Homecare, Inc., 2014 IL App. (1st) 131543 (2014). Despite the fact that the plaintiff had filed a motion for class certification before an offer of full and complete individual relief by the defendant, the court found that the plaintiff’s individual TCPA claim was still “mooted” because the motion for class certification that the plaintiff had filed was cursory and devoid of facts.  Id. at P59.

According to the court, “[I]f a putative class action plaintiff could circumvent the holding of Barber merely by filing a contentless ‘shell’ motion for class certification contemporaneously with its complaint, then it would effectively eviscerate the Barber decision.” Id. (referring to Barber v. American Airlines, Inc., 241 Ill. 2d 450, 455 (2011) (holding that class representative’s claim is moot when defendant offers full and complete relief before filing of motion for class certification)).
Continue Reading Cursory Class Certification Motion Not Enough in Illinois?