A small company that specializes in selling systems designed to protect a person’s home was not as concerned about protecting peoples’ identities. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) achieved a record-breaking $20 million settlement against Vivint Smart Home, a national seller of smart home technology platforms, including security devices and monitoring services. The settlement stems from
A Ninth Court of Appeals ruling may break precedent and cause a major social media platform to be sued for content. The three-judge panel overturned a district court decision and said the families of three teens killed in a car accident could sue Snap Inc. over a Snapchat filter that recorded speed of travel. The
Weeks after lawyers gave oral arguments before the United States Supreme Court on Ramirez v. TransUnion, a case that will impact how standing is determined in class action lawsuits, the attorney for one of the law firms involved spoke with students at Berkeley Law. John Soumilas, a shareholder at Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C., who has
TikTok, one of the most popular social media platforms, settled 21 class-action lawsuits last week for a combined $92 million in restitution. The privacy lawsuits involved 89 million consumers accusing the company of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, along with state laws in California and Illinois, by collecting personal data and selling it
Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C., recently filed a federal consumer class action lawsuit against RealPage, Inc., an international consumer reporting agency that provides tenant reports to the real estate industry, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. The lawsuit alleges that RealPage, which operates its business through its “On-Site” and “LeasingDesk”
Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. recently filed a federal class action lawsuit against Avantus, LLC, a Connecticut-based consumer credit reporting company, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. The lawsuit alleges that Avantus violated the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) when it erroneously and wrongfully placed a terrorist alert on a consumer
The United States Supreme Court has agreed to review a high-profile case handled by Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. (FMS). The firm represents a class of consumers who were misbranded as terrorists on their TransUnion credit reports. Ramirez v. TransUnion Sergio L. Ramirez claimed that credit reporting agency TransUnion LLC willfully mixed his identity with someone
Facebook rolled out new safety measures for their Messenger Tuesday, giving more consumer privacy and autonomy over who they choose to communicate with on the popular app. The social media company has added safety warnings to help users avoid interacting with scam artists or potential threats to children. There are new features to provide more
A federal judge recently ruled in favor of Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C., and our client in a class action lawsuit against RealPage, Inc., a Texas-based consumer reporting agency that sells tenant screening reports, which include information about a tenant’s evictions, to landlords and property managers. As a result of the court’s ruling, the lawsuit can
Attorney Jim Francis was recently featured in the National Consumer Law Center’s (NCLC) Consumer Impact Fall 2020 newsletter. His feature, “Personal Experience can be a Real Motivator for Supporting NCLC,” discusses why he became a consumer litigator and the impact that the NCLC has had on his legal career. The formation and continuation of the