On January 26, a federal judge granted plaintiff Maria Garcia’s (Garcia) motion to remand on the basis that the amount in controversy was below the required threshold. The order was based on the court’s interpretation of the...more
Class action litigation brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is on the rise—particularly in California—after the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a 2017 decision applying a hypertechnical...more
Employers began to rethink how they obtain authorization and retrieve background and credit checks for new employees after the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Gilberg v. California Check Cashing Stores, LLC, 913 F.3d 1169, 1177...more
A California federal court decertified a class of millions of Walmart employees after concluding that the named plaintiffs lacked Article III standing to bring their challenge to the employer’s use of background checks....more
We have another multi-million dollar FCRA class action settlement on the books. In Schofield v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., No. 18-cv-00382-EMC, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31535, at *1 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 27, 2019), the district court for...more
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) prohibits employers from obtaining consumer reports (which may include credit reports, criminal and civil court records and judgments) on job applicants without appropriate...more
On January 29, 2019, the U.S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (covering a number of states and territories bordering the Pacific Ocean) issued a far-reaching opinion that will likely impact the hiring process of...more
The Situation: The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit considered whether an employer's consumer report disclosure form, which contained a combination of disclosures mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act...more
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals interprets the FCRA - On January 29, 2019, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a far-reaching opinion that will likely impact the hiring process of prospective employers who conduct...more
On January 29, the Ninth Circuit issued an important decision clarifying what can and can’t be included in the background check disclosures mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and California’s Investigative...more
Albert Einstein believed “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” The Ninth Circuit seems to agree. In Gilberg v. Cal. Check Cashing Stores, LLC, No. 17-16263, 2019 WL 347027 (Ninth Cir. Jan. 29,...more
The disclosure requirement of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) remains one of the most contentious and expensive litigation areas for employers. The case law from various federal district courts has been a mixed...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As part of an evolving trend of narrowly interpreting the FCRA’s “standalone” disclosure and “clear and conspicuous” disclosure requirements, the Ninth Circuit has held that users of consumer reports may...more
Beginning September 21, 2018, employers must use the newly issued model Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act form (or their own form based on the model) when providing the required written notice to an...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
Employer Must Obtain Written Authorization To Conduct Background Check - Connor v. First Student, Inc., 2018 WL 3966434 (Cal. S. Ct. 2018) - Eileen Connor worked as a school bus driver for Laidlaw Education Services, a...more
The California Supreme Court recently confirmed that employers seeking background reports need to ensure they are in compliance with both the Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) and the Consumer Credit...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: After several years of litigation, in Connor v. First Student, Inc. the California Supreme Court decided that the California Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (“ICRAA”) was not...more
In a case involving the potential overlap between the Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) and the Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act (CCRAA), the state’s high court ruled that employers must comply with...more
Effective January 1, 2017, drivers participating with a Transportation Network Company (TNC) in California will be subject to mandatory criminal background checks, regardless of whether a driver is considered an employee or...more
Happy post-Thanksgiving! News flash for the background screening industry as well as users of background checks in California. The California Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the Investigative Consumer Reporting...more
New California Employment Laws on Fair Pay, Waiver of Meal Periods - Why it matters: California continues its focus on employment-related legislation. Touted as the toughest law of its kind in the nation, Senate...more
Newly Enacted California Statutes - The Word "Alien" Is Stricken From The California Labor Code - Section 1725 of the California Labor Code defines "alien" as "any person who is not a born or fully naturalized...more
An appeals court in California recently held that California’s Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) is not unconstitutionally vague. (Connor v. First Student, Inc., et al., Cal. Court of Appeal, Second...more