Californians can file claims for money payments in $27.5 million class action settlement against Thomson Reuters

New Data Privacy Settlement is Open to Adults who have lived in California Anytime Since December 2016

Oakland, CA—Most Californians are now eligible for a class action settlement claim and could receive an estimated $19 to $48 dollars. A data privacy class action settlement for $27.5 million has been reached with Thomson Reuters, a media and data company, for its CLEAR platform. The law firms Gibbs Law Group LLP and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC filed the lawsuit alleging that Thomson Reuters collected millions of California residents’ personal and confidential information and then it sold access to it without their knowledge or consent.

The deadline to file a claim for a money payment is December 6, 2024. Anyone who has lived in California anytime since December 3, 2016 may qualify. Learn more and file a claim on the settlement website: https://clearprivacysettlement.com/

Case Background

The class action lawsuit, originally filed in 2020, alleged that, through its CLEAR platform, Thomson Reuters sold access to California residents’ data to government entities like ICE and police departments and to its wide-ranging corporate customers. Cat Brooks and Rasheed Shabazz, long-time Oakland residents and activists, represented the class as named plaintiffs.

Settlement Information

The Court granted preliminary approval of the settlement on October 11, 2024. The settlement provides individuals who resided in California for any period of time since December 3, 2016, with the opportunity to submit claims for monetary relief, and mandates privacy-protective changes to Thomson Reuters’ operation of CLEAR going forward. The Court will decide whether to finally approve the settlement on February 13, 2025.

Class counsel Andre Mura of Gibbs Law Group says, “We look forward to delivering the robust settlement benefits to Californians.”

“The settlement accomplishes what I hoped for when I decided to bring this case,” said Plaintiff Rasheed Shabazz. “It makes it easier for Californians to learn about CLEAR. It makes it easier for Californians to get their information out of CLEAR. And it requires Thomson Reuters to take steps to be protective of Californians’ privacy while they operate CLEAR.”

Plaintiff Cat Brooks says, “This settlement will help other Californians learn about CLEAR and more easily remove their information from CLEAR and the sources that supply it.”

About Gibbs Law Group LLP

Gibbs Law Group is California-based law firm and a nationwide leader in lawsuits seeking to holding companies accountable for misconduct. We represent individuals, whistleblowers, employees, and small businesses across the U.S. against the world’s largest corporations. We have prosecuted some of the largest privacy cases throughout the country, and our attorneys have received numerous awards for their privacy and data breach work including “Cybersecurity & Privacy MVP,” “Top Cybersecurity and Privacy Attorneys Under 40,” and “Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar.”

About Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC

Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, a premier U.S. plaintiffs’ law firm, with over 100 attorneys across eight offices, champions the causes of real people – workers, consumers, small business owners, investors, and whistleblowers – working to deliver corporate reforms and fair markets for the common good.