Over 18,000 individuals associated with New Jersey law enforcement have initiated a class-action lawsuit against LexisNexis Risk Data Management, LLC, alleging retaliation by the data broker. The suit contends that after law enforcement personnel requested the removal of their information to maintain privacy, LexisNexis responded by freezing their credit reports and falsely reporting them as victims of identity theft. This alleged retaliation occurred between December and January, following a prior class-action lawsuit in February in which LexisNexis was accused, along with 117 other data brokers, of neglecting takedown requests from around 20,000 New Jersey law enforcement personnel seeking to remove personal data under Daniel’s Law. The law prohibits the disclosure of private information, including home addresses, for current and retired police officers, prosecutors, judges, and their family members.
The recent lawsuit claims that despite a legal obligation to promptly lift credit freezes upon request, LexisNexis continued to publish information, including names, home addresses, and comprehensive reports on family members, while hindering efforts to lift the credit freezes. Plaintiffs argue that this extended effort by LexisNexis to impede compliance with Daniel’s Law is causing substantial and ongoing harm, affecting crucial financial, insurance, and health services for the affected individuals.
