Thomson Reuters Approved for $27.5 Million Data Privacy Settlement for Selling Californians’ Personal Data

A federal judge approved a $27.5 million settlement in September 2024 against Thomson Reuters for allegedly collecting and selling personal and confidential information of millions of California residents without their consent via its CLEAR platform13.

The class action lawsuit was initially filed in 2020, and the settlement covers any adult who lived in California since December 201635.

Eligible residents who filed claims by December 2024 are expected to receive payouts between $19 and $48, but due to the low claims rate (fewer than 1% of the class), individual payouts are likely to be much higher135.

Attorneys' fees amounted to $6.875 million, and the lead plaintiffs each received $5,000 from the settlement fund1.

The lawsuit contended that Thomson Reuters violated privacy laws by selling access to the compiled data, primarily to law enforcement, government, and corporate clients through the CLEAR research and investigative tool135.

Sources:

1. https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-approves-27-5-million-settlement-against-thomson-reuters-for-selling-californians-personal-data/

3. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241024350787/en/Californians-Can-File-Claims-for-Money-Payments-in-$27.5-Million-Class-Action-Settlement-Against-Thomson-Reuters-by-Gibbs-Law-Group-and-Cohen-Milstein

5. https://tech.co/news/claim-thomson-reuters-clear-27-5-million-settlement