Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently denied Plaintiff’s motion to reconsider a prior dismissal of his privacy action due to untimeliness. In a case titled Bonilla, et al....more
Litigation under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act has recently been making all the headlines, but did you know that Illinois statutes contain protection for genetic information also? Illinois’ lesser-known...more
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) provides federal immunity to website platforms from claims based on third-party content hosted on the website. 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1). Specifically, the statute provides that...more
CYBERSECURITY - Another Win for Justice Department: Slilpp Marketplace Takedown - People always ask me if law enforcement is having any luck in combatting cyber criminals. Let me be clear: it is a very tough job to take...more
This week, Ancestry.com Inc. prevailed in a class action which alleged that it misappropriated consumers’ images and violated their privacy by using such data to solicit and sell their services and products. ...more
On March 1, 2021, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler of the Northern District of California dismissed a variety of claims brought against the genealogy website Ancestry.com based on the website’s use of individuals’ personal...more
CYBERSECURITY - Cyber Exposures Rise During Pandemic - Although it is logical that cyber-attacks have risen during the pandemic, and there is anecdotal evidence that it is occurring, including our own experience, an...more
Ancestry.com (Ancestry) was sued on November 30, 2020, in a putative class action case filed in the Northern District of California for “knowingly misappropriating the photographs, likenesses, names, and identities of...more
Ancestry.com has confirmed that RootsWeb, its free website for individuals to search genealogy, recently had a security vulnerability on its server that exposed a file containing the usernames, email addresses and passwords...more
Now is the Busy Season for Cyber Criminals Posing as Executives to Obtain W-2s - It’s the start of tax season, and many employers are sending W-2 forms to employees so they can get ready to file their tax returns. As was...more
In In re Appraisal of Ancestry.com, Inc., C.A. No. 8173-VCG (Del. Ch. 2015), the Delaware Court of Chancery held in connection with an appraisal proceeding brought by a dissenting shareholder that the best indication of the...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery issued companion opinions clarifying Delaware’s standing requirements for appraisal petitions under 8 Del. C. § 262. In In re Appraisal of Ancestry.com, Inc., C.A. No. 8173-VGC, 2015 WL 66825...more
An increasingly popular hedge fund strategy, commonly referred to as “appraisal arbitrage,” recently received a significant boost from the Delaware Court of Chancery. Appraisal arbitrage refers to the practice of buying...more
On January 5, the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that a beneficial stockholder has standing to bring an action for appraisal in its own name when the record stockholder’s actions have perfected the right of appraisal. The...more
A fairly new litigation development is the subject of two Delaware Court of Chancery decisions issued on the same day. Both In re Appraisal of Ancestry.com, Consol. C.A. No. 8173-VCG (Jan. 5, 2015), and Merion Capital v. BMC...more
Merion Capital LP v. BMC Software, Inc., C.A. 8900-VCG (January 5, 2015) and In Re Appraisal Of Ancestry.com Inc., C.A. 8173-VCG (January 5, 2015) both deal with appraisal arbitrage and resolve who is entitled to file an...more