You are a member of the Money Settlement Class in this case if you meet the criteria for one or more of the following Class Groups:

Age Mismatch Group. Between November 7, 2016 and January 1, 2022, TURSS reported a Criminal Record about you to a third party that did not belong to you, even though TURSS had age information that indicated the offender was older than you were at the time of the report based on your date of birth.

State Criminal Group. Between May 14, 2019 and January 1, 2022, TURSS provided a report to a third party about you which contained at least one Criminal Record from a jurisdiction in California, Florida, Texas, or Utah, and did not contain a date of birth, Social Security Number, or street address associated with the Criminal Record.

State Eviction Group. Between May 14, 2019 and January 1, 2022, TURSS reported a Landlord-Tenant Record from any jurisdiction in Virginia or Pennsylvania to a third party that did not report a satisfaction, appeal, vacatur, dismissal, withdrawal, or other favorable disposition of such record that was recorded in the jurisdiction’s public docket at least 60 days prior to the date of TURSS’s Landlord-Tenant Record report.

Eviction Disputes Group. Between May 14, 2019 and January 1, 2022, TURSS received a dispute from you related to TURSS’s reporting of a Landlord-Tenant Record that TURSS categorized as “action date dispute,” “case type/outcome dispute,” “judgment amount dispute,” or “other” and where the resolution was categorized as “data modified,” “data removed,” “data suppressed,” or “no record available.”

Criminal Disputes Group. Between May 14, 2019 and January 1, 2022, TURSS received a dispute from you related to TURSS’s reporting of a Criminal Record that TURSS categorized as “record does not match,” and where the resolution was categorized as “data suppressed.”
 

If you are a member of the Money Settlement Class, you are also a member of the Policy Settlement Class, which includes all individuals in the United States about whom TURSS reported or reports a Criminal Record and/or Landlord-Tenant Record to a third party from November 7, 2016 through the Injunctive Relief Termination Date, which will be two years from the date on which the agreed policy changes are fully implemented. More information regarding the Policy Settlement is located under the Rule 23(b)(2) Settlement page of the Settlement website.

A Court authorized the notice to inform you about the Settlement and your rights. The Court granted Final Approval to the Settlement on October 3, 2023. More details about the Settlement are available in a longer document called the Settlement Agreement. 

The lawsuit is known as In re: TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions, Inc. FCRA Litigation, No. 1:20-md-02933-JPB. Judge J.P. Boulee of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is overseeing the case. The people who sued are called “Plaintiffs;” the company that they sued, TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions, Inc. or TURSS, is called “Defendant.”

The lawsuit claims that TURSS failed to maintain reasonable procedures to ensure maximum possible accuracy in its reporting of certain Criminal and/or Landlord-Tenant Records. Plaintiffs claim that Defendant's alleged practices violated the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"). TURSS denies it did anything wrong. 

The Court did not decide whether either side was right or wrong. Instead, both sides agreed to the Settlement to resolve the case and provide benefits to Class Members.

Class actions try to bring similar claims in one case and in one court. In a class action, the plaintiffs who bring the case are called “Class Representatives” or “Named Plaintiffs.” They have their names listed in the title of the case. They sue on behalf of themselves and people who have similar claims — called the Class or Class Members — which in this case may include you. The Class Representatives filed this case as a class action. When the parties reached the Settlement, the Court had not decided whether the case could be a class action.

The Court did not decide which side is right or wrong in this case. Instead, both sides agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a lengthy trial and appeals process.

To settle the matter, the Plaintiffs and Defendant participated in a process called mediation. This is a formal way parties get together to see if they can resolve disputes with the help of a Court-approved professional, called a mediator. An experienced mediator conducted lengthy sessions with the parties in this matter. The Class Representatives and the lawyers representing the Class think the Settlement is best for all Class Members.

You are included in the Money Settlement Class if you fit one or more of the Class Groups included in FAQ 1. If you are unsure whether you are Money Settlement Class Member, or which Group you are a member of, you may call toll-free 1-877-917-0081, or email info@RentalScreeningSettlement.com.

TURSS has agreed to pay $11,500,000 (the “Settlement Class Fund”) for the benefit of the Money Settlement Class. Payments were made by check to each Money Settlement Class Member. The amount of each check depended on the number of individuals that remained in the Money Settlement Class, the number of forms returned, and the Court’s decision with respect to attorneys’ fees and costs, and settlement administration expenses. Settlement benefits began issuing to eligible Class Members in February 2024.

If you are a member of the Money Settlement Class, and fall in any Class Group other than the State Criminal Group, you were entitled to receive a payment from the Settlement Class Fund described above, as long as you did not exclude yourself from the Settlement. With the exception of the State Criminal Group and some members of the Age Mismatch-Group, eligible Money Settlement Class Members did not need to do anything to receive a cash payment. Once the Settlement was approved, and if you did not exclude yourself, you automatically received a payment.

If you are in the State Criminal Group, you must have returned a Claim Form, postmarked by June 30, 2023, to be eligible to receive a payment. 

If you are in the Age Mismatch Group, you were not required to return a Claim Form to receive a payment. However, if the record that was reported about you was a felony or a sex offense but was not so identified by Class Counsel, you could have returned a Claim Form by June 30, 2023 to receive the additional payment available for those circumstances.

The Settlement Class Fund was allocated according to Settlement Shares. Class Members received shares based on the Class Group they belong to. Each Class Member’s payment was determined by dividing the amount remaining in the Settlement Class Fund after the Court-approved deductions for attorneys’ fees and costs, and settlement administration costs, in proportion to each Class Member’s allocated Settlement Shares. Settlement Shares were allocated to Class Members as follows:
 

Your check was mailed to the address appearing in TURSS’s records. If your address has changed or is changing, you may contact the Settlement Administrator at TransUnion Rental Screening Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91335, Seattle, WA 98111, or info@RentalScreeningSettlement.com

Money Settlement Class Members also benefit from the Policy Settlement. The Policy Settlement requires TURSS, at its expense, to design, implement, and maintain specific, substantial procedures that address the lawsuit’s concerns about the reporting of Criminal and Landlord-Tenant records. All Class Members will receive the benefit from these changes in business practices. More details about the changes in business practice are available at the Policy Settlement Website.

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. 

The date when all appeals are completed, and the Settlement becomes final, is called the Effective Date. The Settlement went into effect on November 27, 2023.

The change in business practices will remain in effect for two (2) years from the Effective Date. During that time, the Court will continue to oversee the policy change and enforce the Settlement Agreement terms.

Settlement benefits began issuing to eligible Settlement Class Members in February 2024.

If you did not exclude yourself from the Money Settlement Class, you were eligible to receive a payment from the Money Settlement, but you will not be able to sue TURSS at all for any claim under the FCRA, or any state equivalent, relating to the accuracy of TURSS’s reporting of Criminal or Landlord-Tenant Records during the dates for your Class Group listed in FAQ 1. All of the Court’s orders apply to you and legally bind you. You agreed to a “Release of Claims,” stated below, which describes exactly the legal claims that you gave up:

All claims that were or could have been asserted by Plaintiffs in the Litigation under the FCRA or any state equivalent relating to the accuracy of TURSS’s reporting of Criminal Records or Landlord-Tenant Records. The Money Settlement Released Claims include claims for relief of any kind, including but not limited to relief pursuant to Sections 1681n or 1681o of the FCRA or any provisions of state equivalents providing for relief, claims for actual damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, nominal damages, injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees, costs, or any other relief of any kind whatsoever.
 

As explained in FAQ 10, you could have opt-outed from the Money Settlement Class. However, if you decided to exclude yourself from the Money Settlement Class, you still remain a member of the Policy Settlement Class. You could not opt-out of the Policy Settlement.

The Court’s decisions in this case apply to you even if you objected to the Settlement or have any other claim, lawsuit, or proceeding pending against TURSS relating to the same claims. If you have any questions about the release, visit the Settlement website for more information or consult with a lawyer.

The deadline to file an exclusion passed on June 30, 2023.

No. Unless you excluded yourself from the Money Settlement Class, you will not be able to sue TURSS for any released claims of the Money Settlement. The deadline to file an exclusion passed on June 30, 2023.

No. If you excluded yourself from the Money Settlement Class, you will not receive a cash payment.

Yes. The Court approved the following firms as “Class Counsel” to represent you and other Class Members:

• Berger Montague PC,
• Khayat Law Firm,
• Consumer Litigation Associates, P.C.,
• Kelly Guzzo PLC,
• Francis Mailman Soumilas P.C., and
• Blake Andrews Law Firm.

You will not be charged for these lawyers. You may hire your own attorney, if you so choose, but you will be responsible for paying your attorney’s fees and expenses. You can contact Class Counsel at 1-844-800-0174 and RentalScreeningSettlementCounsel@bm.net.

You will not be charged for Class Counsel. You will not have to pay any of their fees and expenses. Class Counsel asked the Court to approve attorneys’ fees in an amount not exceeding $3,833,333.00, plus out of pocket expenses, for the time and effort they have spent on this case.

Class Counsel filed a motion for attorneys' fees and expenses on June 9, 2023. The Court granted the motion on October 3, 2023. 

The deadline to object passed on June 30, 2023.

Objecting is simply telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. Opting out, or excluding yourself, means that you will not be included in the Settlement.

You could have objected or opted out of the Money Settlement, but you could not do both. If you excluded yourself, you had no basis to object to the Settlement because it would no longer affect you. However, even if you excluded yourself from the Money Settlement Class, you could have still objected to the Policy Settlement.

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. 

At the hearing, the Court considered whether the Settlement was fair, reasonable, and adequate. If there were objections, the Court considered them and listened to people who had asked to speak at the hearing. The Court also decided how much to award Class Counsel. After the hearing, the Court decided whether to finally approve the Settlement.

The date when all appeals are completed, and the Settlement becomes final, is called the Effective Date. The Settlement went into effect on November 27, 2023. 

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. 

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. 

With the exception of the State Criminal Group, if you are a member of the Money Settlement Class, you were not required to do anything to get the benefits of the Settlement. If you are a member of the State Criminal Group and you did nothing, you did not receive a cash payment. Given that the Court approved the Settlement, you are bound by the Court’s final judgment and the release of claims as explained in the Settlement Agreement.

More details about the Settlement, the date when appeals were no longer allowed and when the Settlement was final, deadlines for certain actions, and your options are available in a longer document called the Settlement Agreement. In addition, key documents in the case have been posted on the website.

You also may write with questions to the Settlement Administrator at TransUnion Rental Screening Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91335, Seattle, WA 98111, email info@RentalScreeningSettlement.com, or call the toll-free number, 1-877-917-0081.