Trans Union, LLC, one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the United States has been hit with a verdict by a California jury for $60 million, which is the largest verdict under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to date.
The class action complaint was filed in 2012 and alleged that Trans Union credit reports were checking consumers against the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control database (OFAC), which mistakenly linked consumers to terrorists and criminals with the same name.
The jury found that Trans Union violated the FCRA when it failed to assure accuracy for its credit reporting results, to notify consumers of OFAC results in writing, and to provide them with notice of their rights under FCRA, including correcting mistakes on their credit report.
The verdict provides that the 8,185 class members will receive $984 in statutory damages under FCRA and $6,353 in punitive damages, which totals $60 million.
Trans Union has publicly stated that it is reviewing its options following the jury verdict.
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