Privacy Law

Companies and their lawyers brace for wide-ranging EU data-privacy law

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation requires a company to gain consent to collect data through a clear, affirmative act that is freely given, specific and informed.

Mar 1, 2018 1:40 AM CST

Supreme Court considers reach of old law in Microsoft case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday considered how to apply an old law to new technology during oral arguments on the ability of federal prosecutors to use a warrant to obtain a drug dealer’s emails stored on a Microsoft server in Europe.

Feb 28, 2018 8:46 AM CST

Lawyer who once moonlighted as a stripper uses indicted governor’s argument in seeking a pardon

A lawyer who moonlighted as a stripper while in law school is asking Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to pardon him for secretly recording sexual encounters—and he’s using the governor’s own arguments. California lawyer Paul Henreid had taken a guilty plea in 1999 under Missouri’s invasion of privacy law. It’s the…

Feb 28, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Missouri governor criticizes ‘reckless liberal prosecutor’ who charged him

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is blasting the prosecutor who obtained a felony indictment against him for invasion of privacy. Greitens is accused of trying to blackmail his former mistress by taking a partially nude photo of her without her knowledge and consent, report the Springfield News-Leader, USA Today, Courthouse News…

Feb 23, 2018 9:08 AM CST

In new Citizens United case, 2nd Circuit upholds donor disclosure requirement

A federal appeals court has rejected a First Amendment challenge to New York regulations requiring charities to disclose their donors. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday in a suit by Citizens United, the group that successfully challenged restrictions on corporate political spending in the U.S.…

Feb 16, 2018 3:54 PM CST

Verizon worker told customer to hire ‘big shot lawyer’ over nude photo migration, suit says

A man has filed a $4 million lawsuit against Verizon Wireless that claims his fiancée’s nude photos inexplicably ended up on the phone of another person. Plaintiff Jeff Smith of Canby, Oregon, says Verizon promised that personal photos would be stored on protected and secure servers, but those assurances were…

Feb 15, 2018 10:53 AM CST

Not all private social media photos are subject to discovery, but some may be, says New York court

In a personal injury lawsuit involving a horse riding accident, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that Facebook photos the plaintiff set as private are discoverable.

Feb 14, 2018 11:16 AM CST

Unhappy with 53 law firms participating in case, judge appoints special master to review legal bills

A federal judge in California last week criticized two lawyers for bringing an additional 49 law firms into a data-breach case, raising to 53 the total number of firms representing the plaintiffs. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said she planned to hire a special master to go through the billing…

Feb 7, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Woman who won $560M Powerball jackpot sues for anonymity

A New Hampshire woman who had the winning $560 million Powerball ticket last month has filed a suit seeking to remain anonymous, saying disclosure “would constitute a significant invasion of her privacy.” The woman filed the Jan. 29 suit as “Jane Doe” against the New Hampshire Lottery Commission, report Courthouse…

Feb 6, 2018 3:25 PM CST

Privacy law specialty certification program narrowly approved after spirited debate in ABA House

A spirited debate preceded Monday’s vote by the ABA House of Delegates to allow the accreditation of a privacy law specialty certification program. The program was proposed by the International Association of Privacy Professionals from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Standing Committee on Specialization from the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility…

Feb 5, 2018 2:14 PM CST

Suit accuses sex toy company of collecting data on customer usage

A lawsuit filed on Wednesday accuses a sex toy company of collecting information from its customers on when and how often they use its vibrators. The would-be class action, filed in federal court in San Francisco, accuses Hong Kong-based Lovense of collecting the data through a Body Chat app paired…

Feb 1, 2018 11:37 AM CST

Judge: Kushner company must reveal identities of real estate partners

A federal judge in Maryland ruled Friday that Jared Kushner’s family real estate company could not keep secret the identities of its partners in Baltimore-area apartment complexes that are the subject of a class-action lawsuit by tenants. The class-action lawsuit was filed in September, following a May article co-published by…

Jan 30, 2018 6:16 PM CST

Secret memo hints GOP could be targeting Deputy AG Rosenstein, report says

A secret GOP memo hints that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein could be targeted for his handling of a surveillance request against Carter Page, a campaign associate of President Donald Trump.

Jan 29, 2018 8:59 AM CST

Thomson Reuters releases new data privacy research tool

Thomson Reuters has released the Data Privacy Advisor, a web platform that centralizes global legal and regulatory data privacy information.

Jan 29, 2018 6:00 AM CST

Self-styled crime reporter is charged with misuse of information; she sees free-speech violation

A Texas woman who heads to crime scenes and broadcasts her own crime reports on Facebook is facing charges after she broadcast the name of a man who committed suicide before the police department released the information. Priscilla Villarreal Treviño was charged last month with two counts of misuse of…

Jan 25, 2018 11:48 AM CST