While every employer engages in some due diligence when considering a new hire, if your company routinely, or even occasionally, obtains a “consumer report” as a way to vet candidates, it behooves you to understand the rules...more
How to Hire a Super Hero - An employer subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and state “mini-FCRA” laws, which are generally more restrictive than the FCRA, can obtain investigative consumer reports, i.e.,...more
The Ninth Circuit recognized that plaintiff’s argument was novel but was thwarted by the statute itself. Plaintiff below, argued on behalf of a class, that the company violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by...more
New federal restrictions on hiring practices could be around the corner. Last month, the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services passed a bill titled “Restricting the Use of Credit Checks for Employment Decisions Act”...more
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides protections for persons subject to “consumer reports” provided by third parties, including criminal background and credit checks mandated by employers. The employee or...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Over the past few years, restrictions regarding the use of credit checks by employers on applicants and employees have been passed at various state and municipal levels, and the federal government has...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective July 7, 2016, employers in Philadelphia are prohibited from procuring or using an applicant’s or employee’s credit history for employment purposes. On June 7, 2016, Philadelphia Mayor...more
A new Philadelphia ordinance amending the City’s Fair Practices Act goes into effect on July 7, 2016. The amendment severely limits an employer’s ability to procure and use credit information on most applicants and employees...more
On June 7, 2016, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed into law Philadelphia Bill No. 160072, which amends Philadelphia’s “Fair Practices Ordinance: Protections Against Unlawful Discrimination,” Chapter 9-1100, et seq. of the...more
Beginning July 7, 2016, employers in Philadelphia may not consider credit history or other credit-related information for job-related decisions for many non-managerial jobs. This change stems from an amendment to the Fair...more
Two bills amending the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) intended to benefit consumers are making their way through Congress. H.R. 4172, "The Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2015," has bipartisan support, although it is...more
Picture this scenario: a privately held dealership operates 16 stores in Southwest Florida. The company’s CFO tries to keep on top of how the finance managers, cashiers, parts managers, and others who handle money or property...more
If you read one thing... - Two new employment statutes place additional burden on New York City firms during prospective employee screening and provide fodder for the plaintiffs’ bar - Credit history and...more
When employers obtain a consumer report for employment purposes, §1681b(b)(3)(A) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (the “FCRA”) requires issuance of a pre-adverse action notice to the subject of the report (the “consumer”) if...more
Last week, the Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act became effective. It amended the New York City Human Rights Law to prohibit most employers from making employment decisions based on an employee or applicant’s...more
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) has recently spawned an unprecedented number of class action complaints against employers for allegedly failing to comply with FCRA’s hyper-technical disclosure and consent...more
Finding that LinkedIn’s “Reference Search” function was not subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a Northern California federal district court dismissed a putative class action filed on behalf of job applicants who...more
On April 16, 2015, the New York City Council, by a vote of 47-3, approved legislation that would prohibit the use of credit checks in employment decisions except in limited circumstances. The bill, which is expected to be...more
The new year is a time for reflection. With that reflection often comes a resolve for change, from small modifications of some old habits to wholesale new beginnings and everything in between. From a business perspective,...more
In 2014, background checks were a hot topic in state and local legislatures. Before this year, only 8 jurisdictions in the country had passed laws preventing private employers from asking job candidates about their criminal...more
Many employers rely on background checks to screen job applicants and employees when making important personnel decisions, including hiring, retention, and promotion. In March, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...more